


But Iron, Cold Iron

by JJGrace42



Series: Erstwhile Universe [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Tony has a daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-05-16 09:22:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14808600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJGrace42/pseuds/JJGrace42
Summary: "Do you think you could bribe the judge to get me an easy sentence if I finally snap and kill all the paparazzi?" she asked. Tony chuckled. "Let's not find out today, okay? C'mon, there's free food inside." OC insert/Tony has a daughter fanfic. Rated M for violence, strong themes, and language. First part of the Erstwhile Universe.





	1. All endings are also beginnings (we just don’t know)

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: The title of this fic is from the poem Cold Iron by Rudyard Kipling. Every chapter title in this fic/series will be parts of a line from a work of fiction. This particular chapter pulls its title from The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Alborn. This fic is the first in a series, henceforth referred to the Erstwhile Series. This fic will be the shortest as it introduces the differences in this version of the Marvel Universe but there’s not anything in the storyline itself that changes drastically. The story will really take off with Avengers.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This fic will contain a lot of potential triggers (death, depression, violence, etc.). Please read responsibly.
> 
> I give you the first installment of But Iron, Cold Iron.

“Do you think they would believe I’m old enough to gamble?” she whispered.

“Depends,” he mused, smiling and leaning in as if he was sharing a secret. “How much are you willing to pay them?”

She tapped her empty wine glass on the table, thinking that over. “It’s your money.”

“Uh-huh. Are you wanting more grape juice?”

She nodded and he looked up, starting to flag down a waiter when Rhodey raised his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present this year's Apogee Award to Mr. Tony Stark!”

“Ah, give me a minute then, Dani,” he said, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. He jogged up the stairs and greeted Rhodey with a handshake. He took the award and turned it this way and that as he stepped up to the mic. “Wow, would you look at that. I've never gotten anything like this before.” He cleared his throat and looked up. “Before I really get going with listening to the sound of my own voice, could we get more grape juice for my daughter?” He pointed at one of the waiters at the back. “Yeah, you. Just a refill. That’s great. Now, back to this. I mean, honestly, this is a prestigious award. I’m happy that when they thought success they thought of me.”

Danielle looked up when the waiter reached the table. She held up her glass and smiled as he filled it. “Thanks. You don’t think I could get some wine, do you?”

Obadiah leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder. “Behave,” he murmured.

She pouted and sank down a little bit in her chair, sipping her juice.

“And that’s it!” Tony said on stage. “Thanks and good night, I suppose!” Amidst the sudden surge of clapping, he stepped down the stage back to the table. Tony thunked the award down in front of her. “There you go, my dear,” he said, sitting back down.

She reached out and turned it so she could read the inscription. “It’s not as big as some of your other ones,” she commented. “Pretty, though.”

“Maybe. If you like boring things.”

“Uh-huh. Can we go, yet?”

“No. I want to listen to the rest of the speeches.”

Danielle sipped her juice slowly, squinting at him. He met her stare evenly, undaunted. Then a grin cracked his expression. “Let’s go. Happy is outside with the car.”

“Yes,” she whispered, pumping her fist. She set her glass on the table and then slung her bag over her shoulder.

Obadiah glanced at him. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “We’re not done.”

“You aren’t. But we are.” Tony smiled and patted him on the cheek before standing. He led the way and Danielle followed him, just smiling at the people that cast looks their direction. He opened the door at the back for her and bowed comically, waving her past. “My lady.”

Danielle giggled and curtsied delicately. “Why, thank you.” When he followed her out, she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. “Can we play some poker before we go? Please? Rhodey taught me how.”

“Oh, did he, now? And did he tell you that he’s one of the worst poker players in the world? No.”

She pouted. “Maybe some craps, then? Roulette?”

“No and no. We’re going home, kiddo.”

“Can’t I at least use a slot machine?” she begged. “What’s the point of coming to a casino if you won’t even let me gamble just a little?”

He squinted at her. Then shrugged. “Sure. But just one turn on the slot machine, okay? And remind me to lecture Rhodey about this later."

When they finally made it out to the car, Danielle was giggling ecstatically and Tony was shaking his head. Happy rolled down the window. “Something I need to know about, boss?”

“My kid just lost fourteen hundred bucks on a slot machine,” Tony muttered, opening the limo's back door. “Didn’t win even once.”

“Still fun, though,” Danielle assured him.

“Mr. Stark! Excuse me, Mr. Stark!”

Tony paused, putting a hand on Danielle’s shoulder to stop her from moving.

“Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair Magazine,” the voice said.

 _She’s cute,_ Happy mouthed. Tony shrugged, thinking it over. Danielle wrinkled her nose. “Ew. I can tell what you’re saying, Haps. You know that, right?”

Tony turned. “Yeah, okay. Go,” he said.

The woman cleared her throat. “It’s okay?”

“You have three minutes.”

She held up her recorder. “You’ve been called the da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?”

“Absolutely ridiculous. I don’t paint. You should see some of Dani’s stuff, though.” He squeezed his daughter’s shoulder and threw her a quick smile.

“And what do you say to your other nickname? The Merchant of Death?”

“Catchy,” Danielle interjected. “I like it.”

Tony smirked just a touch at that. “Let me guess. Berkley?”

“Brown, actually.”

“Well, Ms. Brown, it’s an imperfect world but it’s the only one we’ve got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I’ll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals.”

“Rehearse that much?”

“Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime.” That got a giggle out of Danielle and a smile tugged at his lips.

“I can see that. But all I want is a serious answer, Mr. Stark.”

Tony sighed. “My old man had a philosophy. ‘Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.’”

“That’s a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks,” she said, looking distinctly unimpressed.

“My father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero.”

“And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering.”

“Tell me, do you plan to report the millions we’ve saved by advancing medical technology or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops. All those breakthroughs? Military funding.”

“You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?”

He paused, glancing towards Danielle. Then he leaned forward to make sure the recorder caught exactly what he said. “Never. Because I’m trying to make a world that’s safe for my daughter. What are you doing?” He turned. “Alright, in you go, Dani.”

Danielle looked up at Everhart and crossed her arms. “I thought reporters were supposed to at least pretend to be unbiased. It’s a damn good thing you didn’t go into acting.”

Tony made an odd sound and then snickered a little. “Language,” he said absently, back still turned to Everhart. “C’mon. In the car, kiddo.” He opened the back door of the car and waved her inside. Tony slid into the seat behind her and shut the door. The moment he did, he started laughing.

Happy glanced back. “Airport?”

“Sure.” He high fived his daughter. “That was a good line. What was her face like?”

“She looked surprised. Like this.” Danielle dropped her jaw and widened her eyes a little. Then she broke into a fit of laughter. “You should let me join in on your interviews more often.”

“The two of us together might give Pepper a heart attack.” He leaned back and tapped on the headrest of Happy’s seat. “Hey, take us through a Wendy’s and let’s get this girl a frosty.”

“Sounds good, boss.”

* * *

 

“He’s downstairs in the shop,” Danielle said before Pepper could even open her mouth, not looking up from her math homework. “He’s ready to go. You can just ask JARVIS to send him up.”

“Of course. JARVIS?” Pepper asked.

There was a moment of silence and then the AI responded. “He’s on his way up, Ms. Potts.”

“Thank you, JARVIS. Are you ready, Danielle? You’ve eaten? Got your things gathered?”

“Yep.” She scratched out the answer to the problem and then closed the book, setting her pencil down. “Dad made pancakes. They were kinda burnt, but they were good. He put chocolate chips in them.” She bent down and slipped her book into the bag at her feet. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

Pepper smiled. “Thank you.”

“We really should have scheduled this flight for later in the day,” Tony said, stepping into the kitchen with a yawn.

“It’s not so bad,” Danielle said, hopping up to her feet. “I only had to get up a half hour earlier than normal.”

“Your normal is five AM, kiddo,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “Alright, I had JARVIS email you instructions, but—“

“Tony, I’ve watched Danielle plenty of times before and she’s been just fine. Besides, your daughter is twelve. She’s pretty self-sustaining at this point.” Pepper cleared her throat. “But I do have a couple things I need to talk to you about before you leave.”

He sighed and turned to face her. “Right, fine. Lay it on me.”

“Larry called. He’s got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no.”

“Is it a good representation of his spring period?”

“Pollock didn’t have a spring period,” Danielle said, bouncing on her feet.

“Right. What do you think of it, Pepper?”

“It’s a very beautiful painting. It’s also very overpriced, especially since you’re just wanting it to brighten up the office.” Pepper glanced down at the papers in her arms.

“Good point. Dani?”

She looked up. “Huh?”

“If Pepper gets you the canvas, do you think you could work up something to make my office just a bit more cheery?”

She lit up, beaming. “Of course!”

“Alright. It’s a plan, then. Tell Larry I’m not interested. What else?”

“The MIT commencement speech—“

“That’s in June. I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Well, I have to hear about it, so this is only fair. They’re bugging me and they want a confirmation.”

“Fine, fine. Confirm.” He rested a hand on Dani’s head. “Is that it?”

“Almost.” She held out a paper and pen towards him. “I need you to sign this. And then you can leave.”

He took the paper and leaned over the table to sign it. “You seem a little more hasty than usual. What, you got plans today?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Danielle nudged her dad as he handed the paper back. “It’s her birthday,” she whispered loudly.

“Oh? Really?” Tony looked up at Pepper. “Get yourself something nice from me.”

“Already did. Danielle actually helped me choose it,” she said cooly, looking through her papers one last time. “And that’s it. You can head out with Happy and you, Danielle, get to come hang out with me.”

“Tell Happy I’ll be out in a minute,” he said, waving to her and turning to his daughter. As Pepper left, he flicked his daughter’s nose. “Now, no pranks like last time.”

She pouted. “But you like my pranks!”

“I know. But what I don’t like is Pepper complaining about purple hair for five weeks. If you do anything, make sure it’s something she won’t be angry about when I’m back in a couple day, sound good?”

“I hate rules,” she whined, though a smile was pulling at her face. “What about Happy? Can I prank Happy?”

“Dani, you can _always_ prank him. Open season on Happy year round. Got it?”

She grinned. “Got it.”

“Good. Alright, bring it in, kiddo,” he said, pulling her into a hug. “There we go.” He pressed a dramatic kiss to her cheek, making her laugh. “Grab your stuff. Let’s go.”

She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Is it a long flight?” she asked, following him out the door.

“Pretty long, yes.” He ruffled her hair.

Danielle squealed, ducking away and running her hands through her hair. “Hey!” She pouted, she moved away to stand beside Pepper. “So rude!”

He laughed, slipping on his sunglasses and opening the door of his car. “Love you, kiddo.” He ducked inside and shut the door. Tony revved the engine and then peeled off. Danielle waved, laughing as Happy gunned it to try to catch up.

“Hey, Pepper?”

“Yes?”

“Do you wanna help me put itching powder in Happy’s boxing gloves?”

Pepper stared at her for a long moment. Then she sighed. “No.”

* * *

 

“Congratulations, Danielle. You have matched your high score with two point six miles.”

She huffed, hopping down off the treadmill and wiping her face with a hand towel. “I thought I was going to beat it this time,” she pouted, reaching for her water bottle.

“It is still impressive,” JARVIS said. “You have been consistently at a twelve-minute mile for three months, now.”

“I’m trying for eleven, though.” She pulled at her shirt and tossed the towel aside in the basket. “What do you think for breakfast? Omelet? Spinach or bacon?” She left the gym and started up the stairs.

“There is no reason for why you can’t have both.”

“I like the way you think.” She made it up to the living room to the sound of the TV going. “Good morning, Pepper.”

Pepper jumped, snatching up the remote and turning off the TV. “Good morning, Danielle,” she said, voice strained.

Danielle took a long drink from her water bottle, watching the woman. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Pepper set down the remote. “How was your workout this morning?”

Danielle moved to stand by the couch. “JARVIS, turn the TV on.”

“Danielle, no—“

“Of course,” he said.

The TV took just a moment to come back on. The camera panned over a large area of sand, littered with twisted metal and bodies. A newscaster was speaking over the image, but the voice was echoey and distant. Because all Danielle could focus on were the three words at the bottom of the screen.

_Tony Stark Missing._


	2. He is the long delayed (something that we live for)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title comes from The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.

“You still haven’t told me where you’re from.”

“I’m from a small town called Gulmira. It’s a nice place.”

“Got a family?”

“Yes. And I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“A daughter. Best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Ah. You will see her too, then. When you leave here.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

 

“You’re gonna find him, right?” she interrupted, voice cracking mid-sentence.

Rhodey paused, breaking off from his conversation with Pepper. His expression softened. “Of course, Goose. I’ll have him back real soon.”

She bit her lip, watching the screen. Then she dropped her gaze to the floor. “You’re a goddamn liar, Rhodey.”

Pepper sighed beside her. “Danielle—“

“I’m gonna go to my studio,” she said, turning away. “Let me know when Mrs. Peterson gets here.”

A sigh. “Alright.”

Danielle jogged up the stairs, rubbing her eyes. They stung, but they were dry. “JARVIS?” she whispered, making her way down the hall to her studio. “You’ll let me know if they find anything?”

“Of course. And in the meantime, might I suggest that you eat something?”

“Maybe after I’m done.” She pushed her way into the room. “Do you think you could play some music?”

Soft Beethoven began playing and she made it over to her desk, sitting down. Danielle picked up a pencil and began sharpening it, eying her blank sketchbook. She tapped her pencil against the page and sighed. With a broken groan, she slumped over the desk and dug her fingers into her hair.

The tears came a little too easily and her shoulders shook a little too much. She curled in on herself, fighting and failing to hold back the sobs.

“Danielle? Would you like me to notify Ms. Potts?”

“No,” she choked out. “Please don’t. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”

“Sir will be back soon. He is far too stubborn and loves you far too much to stay away for long.”

She managed a weak smile. “Thank you, JARVIS.”  Danielle closed her eyes.

“Danielle. Danielle, it’s time to wake up now.”

She groaned, opening her eyes. “Wh-what?” she mumbled. She wrinkled her nose as she sat up and rubbed at the dry saliva at the corner of her mouth. “What?” she asked again.

Pepper smiled at her softly. “Mrs. Peterson is here. If you aren’t ready, I can ask her to come back—“

“No, no.” Danielle sniffled a little and cleared her throat, climbing to her feet. “Thanks, Pepper. JARVIS, can you let Mrs. Peterson know that I'll be there in a second?”

"Of course."

She ran her hand through her hair and shuffled out of the room to the bathroom across the hall. Danielle leaned over the sink and turned the handle. The water ran unhindered for a moment and she watched it swirl around the drain. Danielle ducked down, splashing the cold water across her face. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that her eyes were still rimmed with red and her skin lacked its normal color. Danielle took a deep breath and turned, leaving the room. She found her tutor setting up in the study. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Peterson.”

“Ah,” the woman said, looking up and fixing her glasses. “Are you ready to review, Miss Stark?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She sat down. “What are we starting with? Calculus?”

“Let’s start with your French, actually,” the woman said, smiling. “Are you ready?”

“Yep.”

Mrs. Peterson cleared her throat. “Dans quelle mesure êtes-vous confiant pour vos examens le mois prochain?” [How confident are you about your exams next month?]

Danielle took a moment to think about it, hiding her hands in her lap so her tutor wouldn’t see her nervous fidgeting. “Très confiant. Je suis plus que prêt à être fait.” [Very confident. I’m more than ready to be done.]

Next month. Her exams were next month. And if she passed, which she was sure she would, that meant that she would graduate. She would graduate and her father wouldn’t be there with her.

“Mlle Stark?" [Miss Stark?]

Danielle jumped, knees hitting the table. “Sorry, wha—“ She caught herself. “Pardon. Quelle était la question?” [Sorry. What was the question?]

Mrs. Peterson smiled at her softly and reverted back to English. “Do we need to do this another time, Miss Stark?”

“No, no. I’m fine. What was the question?”

* * *

 

“You know, you could have stayed back at the house,” Pepper said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “It’s a long drive.”

“The house is really empty,” Danielle said, turning a page in her book. “I don’t mind the drive.”

Pepper pulled into her assigned parking spot and put the car in park. She turned. “You can set up in the office if you would like. Or I could get you—“

“No, that works.” Danielle packed her book away and climbed out of the car. “That works.”

“Danielle Stark! Could we have a word?”

Danielle looked up, eyes wide, to find a crowd of reporters pushing towards them. Horror curled between her ribs and she shrank back against the closed car door.

“Ms. Stark, would you like to comment on your father’s disappearance?”

“What do you know about what is being done to find him?”

“Could you comment on what you know?”

“She is not available for comment right now,” Pepper said sternly, wrapping an arm around Danielle’s shoulders. Danielle turned subtly into the woman's side. “Give us room.”

“Ms. Stark! Would you—“

“No.” Pepper put out a hand and pushed her way through the crowd, keeping Danielle close. Danielle ducked her head, hunching her shoulders. “Out of the way. That’s it. Happy!” Pepper called, spotting the man walking towards the front door. “Clear this crowd, please? Thank you.”

Happy moved towards them, frowning and waving his hands. “Alright, this is over. No interviews today. Clear out!”

Pepper led Danielle in through the front door with a sigh. “I’m so sorry. I should have thought ahead and expected that. Let’s go.”

When they got to the office, Danielle curled up in the armchair with her book. But the words blurred and became hard to read and eventually she gave up. She dropped the book on the floor and leaned back in the armchair, staring up at the blank wall next to her. She frowned and turned her head to the side, studying the white. Then she suddenly lunged for her bag, digging out her sketchbook and pencils.

“Danielle?”

She looked up. “Yeah, Pepper?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Um . . . . I just got an idea. For the painting.”

* * *

 

“He’s alive, Goose. I know it. You know it. I’ve just gotta find him.”

Danielle stared at the video stream, hunched into herself with her blanket pulled tightly around her shoulders. “Okay,” she rasped, voice cracking.

Rhodey’s expression drew thin. “Have you been sleeping, Goose? Eating? How much water have you drunk today?”

She looked down, tugging her blanket over her bare toes. A disgruntled sound rumbled in the back of her throat and Danielle ducked her head. “I can take care of myself.”

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you always do. I love you, kiddo. I wish I could be there to help you. Do I need to ask JARVIS to do it for me?” Rhodey frowned through the screen. Someone yelled something behind him and he glanced back.

“Do you have to go?” she asked, sitting up. Danielle rubbed a hand over her face to hide the tears that were most definitely not there. “That’s okay.”

“Call me if you need me, okay?”

She gave him a nod.

The darkness across his face deepened. “I need to hear you promise me. Promise me you’ll call.”

“I’ll call.” Her voice broke on the second word. “I tried to call yesterday and you weren’t there and . . . and I thought you had disappeared too.” She cleared her throat roughly and tossed her blanket back as she stumbled to her feet. “Never mind.”

“Goose—“

“I’ll call. Probably more than you’ll like.”

“Goose—“

“Or less than you’ll like. I can never tell if—“

“Danielle!” Rhodey groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m sorry that I missed your call,” he murmured. “It won’t happen again. No matter what.”

She swallowed thickly and desperately ignored the way her eyes were burning. “Promise?”

“Promise. I love you, Goose.”

She stared at the screen for a long moment. Then her gaze dragged to the ceiling. “JARVIS, end call.”

“Of course, Danielle.”

The screen flickered off and disappeared and for too long she stared at where it had been. Then she sat back down, pulling her blanket back over her shoulders and curling into herself. "JARVIS?" she rasped.

"Yes?"

"Do you think he's going to come home?"

"I don't think anything could stop him from coming back to you," JARVIS answered simply. "Sir will be back soon.”

* * *

 

When she woke, it was to her own tears tying themselves into a noose around her neck. She sobbed brokenly into her pillow, curling into herself more and more with each passing moment. The weight on her chest got worse and worse.

"Danielle? Would you like me to contact Ms. Potts?"

"N-no," she gasped out. "No, J-JARVIS. Don't. Please."

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked, bringing the lights up just a little so that she was no longer layered in darkness.

She pushed herself up, scratching the tears away from her face. "Any news on Dad?" she asked, voice cracking.

"Not at the moment."

"Oh." Danielle dragged herself out of her bed. "Okay." She shuffled out of her room, tugging her fingers through her messy hair. JARVIS brought the lights up slightly in the hall to make it easier for her to see. She found her way up the second flight of stairs to her father's room and pushed open the door.

The room was so quiet that even just the sound of her breathing seemed out of place, like it was interrupting some kind of solemn mourning. Danielle closed her eyes. "I miss you, Dad."

"Danielle," JARVIS spoke up. "Might I suggest that you return to your room and sleep? I think it would be most beneficial for you to—"

"Not now, JARVIS. I just want to be left alone."

The silence that followed her statement seemed almost judgmental. "If you're sure," he said, before falling quiet.

Danielle shuffled over to the bed and climbed up onto it. She curled up atop the covers and hugged one of the pillows to her chest. They smelled like laundry detergent and she hated that they'd been cleaned so recently.

"I miss you, Dad. Please come home.”

* * *

 

“Danielle, it’s time to go.”

“Hold on.” She wrinkled her nose against the paint she could feel there and carefully filled in the small spot of blue. Bouncing a little, she felt the plastic protecting the floor crackling. “I’m almost done.”

“It’s really come together,” Pepper commented. “It’s beautiful.”

Danielle knelt down and started cleaning off her paintbrush. “Thank you. It should be finished in just a couple days.” She stored her things away and rose to her feet, wiping the paint on her hands off onto her jeans. “Alright, I’m ready to go.”

When they got to the car, Danielle found a picture frame sitting on her seat. She frowned and set her bag on the floor. She picked up the frame and climbed inside, closing the door. “What’s this?”

“Your diploma,” Pepper explained, starting the car. “I’m going to hang it in your father’s shop so he can see it. He’s going to be so proud when he gets back.”

Danielle sighed and slumped down in her seat, feeling that familiar pain in her eyes. _“If_ he gets back,” she whispered.

“Don’t be like that. He’ll be back.”

“Uh huh.” Danielle leaned against the door and closed her eyes, letting the swaying of the car comfort her.

“Have you not been sleeping any better?”

“Hmm.”

She must have drifted off at one point because the next thing she knew Pepper was shaking her gently awake. “Up you go, Danielle. I’ll get some dinner started.”

Danielle groaned and pulled herself up out of the car. She picked up her bag. Then she paused, staring at the extra car in the driveway. “That’s Rhodey’s car. Is Rhodey here?”

Pepper glanced at her, tucking the framed diploma under her arm and starting towards the front door. “He did mention that he would be coming back for a meeting before heading out again.”

Danielle followed her in the door. “Rhodey?” she called.

“There’s my favorite goddaughter!” a familiar voice said. Rhodey stepped out of the kitchen, mug of coffee in hand.

“I’m your only goddaughter, Rhodey. What are you doing back?” she asked, not moving from her spot. “Aren’t you supposed to be looking for my dad?”

“I am. I’m leaving again in the morning.”

“You haven’t found him yet.”

“I know.”

“You promised you were going to find him.”

He set down his coffee with a sigh. Then he moved to stand in front of her. “I know. And I’m keeping that promise, okay? Because in the morning I’m flying back over there and I swear I’m going to find him. I _promise_ you, Goose.”

She ducked her head and toed the floor. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Bring him home,” she asked, voice cracking. “Please.”

“I will.”

* * *

 

Her nightmares drove her to her art studio at one in the morning, pouring her fears into her sketchbook instead of taking the time to confront them. If JARVIS commented on the number of times she ended up sobbing or gently encouraged her to go back to sleep, she didn’t listen. Instead, she spent the next few hours hunched over the pages of her book with her pencil in hand.

“Danielle.”

“Not now, JARVIS,” she begged.

“I have news from Lieutenant Rhodes.”

She suddenly pressed her pencil down so hard that it snapped and tore a hole in the page. She looked up at the ceiling. “What?” she rasped. “Did they . . .  did they find Dad?”

“Yes.”


	3. Everything was beautiful (nothing hurt)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title comes from Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

"Why is it taking so long?” she asked, voice breaking.

“It’s only been five minutes since they landed,” Pepper assured her. “They’ll be off in a minute.”

“It’s been too long. Is he okay? Is he— He’s on there. Right?” Danielle looked up. “Right? Rhodey said he found him. Was he lying?”

“No, no, he wasn’t—“

“There’s my girl!”

Danielle looked back towards the plane at the two men walking down the ramp. Her heart caught between her ribs and she forgot a moment what it was like to breathe. “Dad,” she whispered. Then tears stung her eyes and she took off running. “Daddy!”

“Careful, kid,” Rhodey said, putting out a hand. “You might want to avoid slamming into him for a little while.”

Danielle slid awkwardly to a stop a couple feet away and swallowed thickly. Tony sighed. “C’mon, Rhodey. That’s my kid.” He let go of the support his friend was giving him. “C’mere, Dani.”

She pressed up against his side and his good arm settled around her. She smiled up at him tearfully, not complaining when he leaned on her to keep himself up. Paramedics wheeled up a gurney and Danielle looked towards them, stiffening and refusing to budge from her father’s side.

“Are you kidding me with this?” Tony asked. “I’m fine. Get rid of them.”

Rhodey waved the medics away. “Pepper,” he greeted.

“Rhodey,” she said, voice a little sore.

With Danielle’s help, Tony took a few steps forward. “Thanks for taking care of her,” he said, awkwardly shifting so he could ruffle Danielle’s hair. She made a face but didn’t comment.

Pepper smiled palely. “Of course.”

Tony squinted at her. “Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?”

“Tears of joy. I hate job hunting.”

“Yeah, well, vacation’s over.” He looked down at Danielle. “Where’s the car, sweetie?”

“Happy’s over there,” she whispered, gesturing with a nod of her head but refusing to let go of him—whether because she was afraid he would fall or afraid he would disappear, she wasn’t sure. “What happened?” she asked as they began walking.

“I’ll . . . tell you about it later. Okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Pepper opened the back door and Tony ducked inside, sliding over to the other side with some difficulty. Danielle got in the back as well and Pepper shut the door. Happy looked in the rearview mirror. “Where to, boss?”

“The hospital,” Pepper said, opening the passenger door and getting in.

“No,” Tony said.

“No?” She looked back at him. “Tony, you have to go to the hospital.”

“No is a complete answer.”

“You have to—“

“I don’t have to do anything. I’ve been in captivity for three months. There are two things that I want; first, an American cheeseburger. Got that, Happy?”

“Got it, boss,” the man said, pulling away from the air force base.

“And the second thing?” Pepper asked warily.

“A press conference.” Tony glanced at Danielle, who was listening intently to the conversation. “Hey, kiddo. Seatbelt. C’mon, basic safety here.”

“Sorry.” She buckled herself in, still listening to Pepper question him.

“Cheeseburger first,” Tony said simply. “Then conference.”

Pepper stared him down for a long moment. Then she sighed. “Fine.” She sat back in her seat and pulled out her phone. “I’ll get you your conference.”

“You hungry?” Tony tapped on his daughter’s forehead.

“Yeah,” Danielle admitted. “I couldn’t eat much this morning. For a good reason.” She cleared her throat. “I finished the painting!”

“Really? How’s it look?”

Pepper nodded and looked back. “It looks amazing. We skipped the canvas and she went straight for a mural of an ocean sunrise right on the office wall. Just wait until you see it.”

“Hey, boss, how many?” Happy asked.

Tony glanced towards Danielle and she held up a finger. “Three,” he said. “Make it snappy. I’m pretty sure my stomach’s trying to eat my spine.”

* * *

 

“We need to brief Mr. Stark on the circumstances of his escape.”

“Can I ask you something?” Danielle interrupted.

The man blinked and looked down at her. “I’m sorry?”

Pepper smiled. “I’ll put something on the books, Agent Coulson. Go ahead, Danielle. I’ll make sure your father actually finds his way to the stage.”

Danielle waved to her. Then she turned towards the man and extended a hand. “I’m Danielle Stark.”

He smiled politely. “Agent Phil Coulson.” He shook her hand. “I work with the Strategic—“

“I heard. You should probably figure out something shorter. What do you do, exactly?”

“Me specifically? I’m a field agent. It’s my job to make sure the world is safe for people like you.” He held out his badge. “You can take a look.”

Danielle took the badge and opened it. As she ran her thumb over the embossed metal, she asked, “What does someone have to do to become a field agent?”

“Are you interested?” Coulson asked, raising an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be focusing on finishing middle school?”

“I graduated last month,” she mused, glanced towards the stage where her dad was still speaking. “I’m just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.”

“And you think you might want to be an agent?” There was a certain amount of amusement in his voice.

“Maybe. I don’t know, exactly. But I like the idea of it, at least: helping people.” She handed the badge back. “I’m smart, but I don’t enjoy making and designing stuff the same way my dad does. I’m exploring my options.”

“That’s a smart choice.”

“So. What would I have to do to be a field agent, then?”

“The process is relatively simple. You would apply to the Academy of Operations. If accepted, you would go through the program there and graduate an agent. But you have to be exceptional to even get in. As impressive as your brain is, Ms. Stark, your athletic skills are what Operations really look at.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She looked towards the crowd as they all began asking questions, despite the fact that Tony was very purposely leaving the stage. Danielle glanced back up at Coulson. “So let’s say I wanted to go to this Academy. How would I get in contact with the Strategic Homeland—“

“Just call us SHIELD.”

“SHIELD. Right. That's easier. How would I get in contact with SHIELD to tell them I’m interested?”

“Well, SHIELD would be more than happy to work with a bright girl like you. So if you are ever serious about this at any point in the future, then here.” He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a card. “Give me a call. I wouldn’t mind claiming credit for bringing you in.”

“Cool,” she said, looking over the card. She tucked it into her pocket. “Thanks.”

“Dani, you ready to go, kiddo?”

She looked up excitedly as Tony crossed through the lobby towards the front door. “Coming! It was nice to meet you, Phil!” She waved to him and then jogged off to catch up with her dad. “Where’d you go?”

“I was talking to Obie,” he said, pulling her close with his good arm and then leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Let’s go home, okay?”

“You look tired,” she commented. “We have tea at home. It could help you get some sleep.”

He opened the door of the car for her. Once she was in, he got in as well. “Home, Happy.” Then he glanced over at Danielle. “No, actually I think that tonight’s calling for some movies. We deserve a little celebration for today, right?”

That was how three hours later the two of them were sitting on the couch, watching the credits for _Finding Nemo_ began to roll. “You know,” Danielle mumbled, nestled up against his good side, “it’s kinda like you were Nemo. And we found you.”

Tony chuckled a little. “Oh? Does that make Rhodey Marlin or Dory?”

Danielle giggled. “Dory. Hands down.”

“Who’s Marlin, then?”

“Hmm . . . . Pepper?” She turned, hugging herself to his chest. “I missed you,” she whispered. She shifted up against him and reached up an arm around him. He flinched and she pulled back from his sling. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“No, no, it’s okay.” He pressed a kiss against her hair.

She hesitantly reached back up to hug him. Her knuckles hit something hard and Danielle stilled. “What—“ Pulling away from him, she sat up. “What’s that?” she murmured.

Tony glanced down at his shirt. “Oh . . . . It’s a, uh . . . prosthetic.”

“From Afghanistan?” she whispered, looking up at him and feeling the heat drain from her face. She sniffled and dragged a hand down her face. “They, uh, do they have good hospitals there?” Her words shook with weak humor.

He chuckled a little. “Something like that.” Tony cleared his throat and straightened. “Do you want to take a look?”

She gulped but managed a nod. As he began to clumsily unbutton his shirt with one hand, Danielle rubbed her eyes. “Um, here.” She turned so she was somewhat propped up on her knees on the couch. She knocked his hand aside and her trembling fingers began working on the buttons. “You said you were gonna tell me what happened. Are you—“ The words caught themselves in her throat and she stared at the light diffusing itself softly through his undershirt. “Daddy?”

He grunted a little in pain as he adjusted his sling out of the way. “Hold on,” he rasped out. “Let me just—“ He shrugged off one sleeve of his button-down. Danielle bit her lip at the pain that etched itself into his face as he did his best to wrestle off his undershirt. Tony got it pulled mostly off, hanging loosely around his sling. “There. Take a look, Dani.”

Danielle swallowed thickly and reached out. “How’s your arm?” she breathed. She pressed her fingers down on the scars stained across his chest. “When can you take the sling off?”

“When I go to bed. Though Pepper threatened me if I don’t go easy with it for a while.”

“Sounds about right. Is this . . . .” She touched her fingertips against the metal and tensed at the harsh feeling instead of the skin she wanted there. “This is the arc reactor. How?”

“This is your old man we’re talking about, Dani. You should know better than to ask that by now. You get your brains from somewhere.”

She pressed both hands against the reactor, feeling across the grooves and metal. “The arc reactor is an energy source. What do you need one for?”

“My heart.”

She snapped her gaze up to him. “Why?”

“I’m fine,” he promised immediately. Tony sat up and dragged an arm around her as he pressed a messy kiss to her forehead. “C’mere. JARVIS, another movie, please.”

“Of course, sir. What would you like?”

Tony pulled her tight up against him. “Hmm.” He thought for a moment, nuzzling his nose into her hair. “Your pick.”

“Of course, sir. How does _The Incredibles_ sound, Danielle?” JARVIS responded easily.

“That sounds great,” Danielle sighed, sinking against Tony’s chest. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too.”

* * *

 

“Dad?”

Tony jerked, his pencil snapping against the page. He looked up and blinked for a long moment to try to focus. “Dani,” he croaked out. Then he cleared his throat painfully and fumbled for his water glass. In a clearer but still broken voice, he asked, “What are you doing up? It’s late.”

“Hypocrite.” Danielle bit the word out sharply. “JARVIS said you never went to sleep.” She tugged at her loose t-shirt and picked her way across the room, bare feet quiet against the workshop floor.

“What are you doing up?” he asked again, setting down the broken pencil.

Danielle crossed her arms and stood a few feet away from him. Mirroring him, she repeated herself. “Hypocrite.”

Tony sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “Dani, I can’t do this right now. You need to sleep and—“

“I can’t sleep anymore,” she interrupted in a whisper. “I keep waking up. So I’ve been doing other things instead: painting, running, playing music, reading. But every night I would go in your room and you weren’t there.” She shoved her hands into her pockets and hunched her shoulders. “So when I couldn’t sleep and I went to your room, I, well . . . .” She ducked her head. “Thought I’d been dreaming.”

Silence suffocated the air in the room for a moment. Then it clicked. “My god . . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t—“

“Can I stay in here?” she gasped out, looking up. Her eyes were red and teary.

“Ye—“ His voice snapped in the middle of the word and he looked down. Tony cleared his throat. “Yeah. Of course, sweetheart.” He got up to his feet. Danielle stumbled into his arms and he tucked his head down against hers. “I love you.” And then he reminded her, “I’m here.”

* * *

 

“Circuit tester.”

She looked up from the sentence that she’d been reading for the seventh time. “What?” Danielle saw his outstretched hand. “Oh. Got it.” She leaned back and searched for a moment before coming up with it. “Here.” She dropped it into his palm.

“Thank you,” he murmured, hunching over his project.

“When is it going to be done? I’ll help you put it in.”

“You don’t have to do that,” he said. Tony looked up, eyes magnified dramatically by his glasses. “I’ll get Pepper to help.”

“No.” Danielle shut her book. “I want to help, Dad. Please.”

Tony stared at her for a long moment. Then the tester buzzed in his hand and the LED on the top flashed. He cleared his throat and looked down at the device, studying the numbers along the side. “Okay. You can help. Sealer, please.” He set the tester down and held out his hand. After a moment of searching, she gave him the small container.

“You didn’t tell me how long it would take.”

He took a moment to focus on sealing up the wire. “It should be done . . . .” He tucked the wire back away. “Now.”

She straightened up and set her book aside. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

He got to his feet and moved over to a different chair and reclined, stripping off his shirt. “This,” —he tapped his arc reactor— “needs to get lost. But since I built it in a cage, it’s not exactly up to code.”

She slathered her hands up in germ-x and got to her feet. “Meaning?”

“Meaning that there’s a copper wire under here with no insulation. The moment we lift this out, it’ll be exposed and ready to cause a short. So once I take this out, you need to reach in and get the wire out.”

“Specifics, please.” She stood next to him.

“Don’t let it touch the walls. Lift it gently.”

“And?”

“There’s a magnet at the end. Don’t pull it out until we’re ready to put in the new arc reactor, or . . . . Well, we just need to be ready to connect it immediately.”

“Or what?” Danielle frowned down at him and glanced towards the new arc reactor sitting on the table next to him. He didn’t answer and she looked up at him sharply. “Or what, Daddy?”

“Or I’ll go into cardiac arrest. So you’ve gotta be careful and steady.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Steady. Let me see those hands.”

Danielle swallowed thickly and help up her hands. They were still and quiet.

Tony smiled. “That’s my girl. You ready?”

“How do I attach it?” She licked her lips and reached out, poising her hand above the reactor.

“There’s a baseplate at the bottom for you to attach the wires too. Ready now?”

She took a long, shaky breath. “Ready.”

Tony smiled and then reached up, tapping her on the nose. “You’ve got this, Dani. Twist left.”

Another deep breath. Danielle tightened her hold on the arc reactor and turned it. It hissed a bit as she pulled it up. A gentle tug stopped it and she took a deep breath. “Okay. Lift the wire. Replace the reactor. Right?”

“Right.”

She reached over with her left hand for the new reactor, keeping the old one completely steady. “Here we go.” She lifted gently with unshaken hands. The magnet lifted out slowly and Tony gasped, eyes shuttering closed as he dug his fingers into his chair’s armrests. “Careful,” she urged him. “Just a second. Breathe, Dad, breathe.” The moment the magnet cleared, she set it aside. “Here we go.”

Danielle reached inside to attach the new arc reactor. She hissed air in through her teeth. “What is that?” she rasped.

“Inorganic plasmic discharge from the device. This new version should fix it.”

“Shouldn't you,” —she grunted and rose on her toes to get a better angle— “clean this out?”

“It’ll be fine.” His voice was a little thin and shaky.

She finally attached the wires and then slid the arc reactor in. Danielle rose on her toes again and pressed down. Tony grunted and the arc reactor hissed before humming quietly as it lit up. “There. Is that . . . . Does that work?”

He took a long moment to focus on his breathing. Then he sat up and tugged her down so he could press a kiss on her forehead. “Perfectly. Hand me my shirt, sweetie.”

As he got dressed again, the door opened. “I was looking at lunch options. Would you like to order out or cook in?” Pepper asked, stepping inside without looking up from her tablet. “I feel like I should suggest you eat something healthy while you’re still recovering, but I know you’re not going to listen.” She looked up. “Oh.” Pepper offered a warm smile. “I didn’t realize you were down here, Danielle. What would you like for lunch?”

She blinked. “Um . . . . Dad?” Danielle looked back at him. “What do you think?”

Tony was staring at the frame on his desk, visible now that he’d begun clearing away the mess he’d made when building the new reactor. He picked it up. “You did it,” he murmured.

Danielle cleared her throat and shoved her hands in her pockets. “Daddy?”

He looked up. “Right. Lunch. Let’s eat out. Pepper, reservations for two, please. Private room.”

“Anywhere in particular?”

“Surprise me.” He ruffled Danielle’s hair messily and then started towards the door, picture frame still in hand. “I’ll get washed up. You too, kiddo.”

“Wait, Dad. What about the old arc reactor?”

He looked back. “Get rid of it.” Then he jogged up the stairs.

Danielle frowned, looking at the reactor. Pepper sighed. “I’ll take care of it, Danielle.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

* * *

 

“Snappers,” Danielle sighed, staring out the window. “Tell me again why we’re doing this?”

“My baby girl graduated. I made it home. You’re wearing a dress. We have a lot of things to celebrate,” he said cockily, grinning at her. Then he reached for her hair.

She ducked, batting his hand away. “Hey, watch it! Besides, it’s not like I never wear dresses.”

“I know, I know. But you look cute, Dani.” He leaned forward and knocked on the glass. It slid aside so they could talk to the driver. “Let us out here and then find a spot to park, Happy.”

“Will do, boss.”

Tony nodded and, as the car stopped, he opened his door. Danielle wrinkled her nose at the instant flood of noise and questions and camera flashes before it was all quite suddenly cut off by the door closing. “Thanks, Haps,” she said. Tony opened her door and she got out. Immediately, she ducked her face down so they couldn’t see.

“Hey, watch it,” Tony said sharply to the people around them. He took Danielle’s hand and started pulling her forward. “Get the hell out of the way. Yeah, you. That’s right. Here we are.”

Danielle glanced back at the crowd pushing forward. As Tony opened the door, she grinned and flipped all the reporters off before stepping quickly inside after her father. “Where are we going?”

“We have a nice room. You haven’t been here before, right? Chef Aubert is very good. You’ll like his food. I’ll order for you.” He led the way to the front desk and smiled at the hostess. “Reservation for two. Stark.”

“Right this way, Mr. Stark.” She gathered up two menus and turned. “We have prepared a private room for you.” She opened the door and stepped aside to let them in. As they sat, she said, “Can I get you anything to drink to get started?”

“She’ll have a water,” Tony said. “I’ll have the Château Simone Palette Rouge 1999.” He took his menu.

“I’ll take care of that right away,” she said, smiling just before she left the room.

“How’s your arm?” Danielle asked, tapping her closed menu. “You sure you were good to take off the sling?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He flipped open the menu and glanced through it. “You don’t have to be so worried, kiddo.”

“Course I do,” she murmured. “You were gone for a long time, Dad. I thought that when you got back I wouldn’t be so . . . . Well, it didn’t work.”

Tony looked up and smiled sadly. “I’m sorry.”

The door opened again. “I’ll be your waiter for today,” the man said, voice heavy with a French accent. “My name is Antoine. If you need me that buzzer will let me know. Here are your drinks.” He set three wine glasses on the table, two filled with water and one with wine. “Are you ready to order?”

Danielle looked over at Tony, playing with the pink skirt on her dress. He nodded. “Yep.” As he ordered, she sighed and picked up her glass.

By the time Antoine was collecting the menus, she put her glass down and tapped it. “More water, please.”

“Of course, Ms. Stark.”

When the door closed, she dragged her gaze up to her father. “Je suis surpris que tu ne sois pas devenu grand et que tu sois parti pour Paris,” [I’m surprised you didn’t go big and fly us all the way to Paris for this,] she mused in French.

The way his breath caught for a moment made Danielle frown. But he smiled at her comfortingly. “I just got back home. Really trying to get me out of the country so soon, kiddo?”

“No. Please don’t leave.”

The smile dropped instantly. “I’m not. I won't." Tony cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine. “I’m proud of you, Danielle.”

“The full name, huh?” she said. “You must really mean it.” She sat back as the door opened and the conversations halted as Antoine refilled her glass and left behind the pitcher of water for her. Even when he left, there was still a break in the conversation that she didn’t know how to get past.

“Of course I mean it.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing. A university feels too . . . limited. Restricting. Like school did before you brought in Mrs. Peterson.” She was fully aware that he was hanging onto her every word and she sipped at her water in silence until it was gone. Tony reached across the table and refilled her glass. “It’s like . . . the world is an ocean,” she murmured, watching the glass fill. “And all the water is what’s out there, waiting to be learned and understood and I just need to learn to swim.”

“But?”

“But school? Degrees? Strict borders of study? Doesn’t it feel like someone tying rocks around your neck and just telling you to doggy-paddle?”

“Are there rocks around your neck, Dani?”

“I don’t want there to be.”


	4. He thought Two Thoughts (anything can happen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title comes from The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

The notes were traitorously steady in comparison to the way her fingers trembled against the keys. She fumbled and the minor chord clashed harshly with the rest of the song, holding out long after everything else quieted. Danielle took a shaky breath and retraced her steps to where she went wrong. The notes faltered again and she frowned, snatching up her pencil. She erased some of her notes and began editing it.

“What’s this?”

She jumped, elbow slamming down into the piano keys. “Fuck! When did you get back?”

Tony tapped sharply on her forehead. “Language, Dani. And just now. I said hi when I came in. Did you not hear me?”

Danielle stared past him at the front door. “No,” she mumbled. “Must not’ve. Sorry.”

Tony nudged against her shoulder and, after she shifted over, he sat down on the bench next to her. He fitted his hands over the higher keys and then looked at her until she did the same with the lower ones. He began to play Moonlight Sonata and she smiled, following along. Every once in awhile, he forgot a note or his fingers slipped to the wrong keys.

“So," Danielle murmured. “What were you talking to Rhodey about? Can I know?”

He took his hands from the keys and listened as she kept playing. “Love you, kiddo. But not today.” He got to his feet.

She sighed and scooted back over to the middle of the bench. “Okay.” She rearranged the sheet music she’d been working on and cleared her throat. She began hesitantly playing again. “You look bothered, though. Whatever it was, Rhodey disagreed?”

Tony ran his fingers through her ponytail. With a sigh, he leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “This is a pretty piece. Where’d you get it?”

She paused her playing and her gaze dragged back to the beginning. “I’m working on writing it.” She started over.

“I like it. You should record it when you’re done. It would be nice to listen to.” He kissed her cheek and then dug his fingers into her side. She squealed and tried to wiggle away. “Dinner?”

Danielle pouted at him, arms wrapped around her middle. “That was unfair!”

He wandered over to the kitchen, chuckling. “C’mon, Dani. If you don’t help, I’m just gonna burn some pasta and serve it to you.”

“You’re not _that_ bad.”

“You’d be surprised. I almost burned down my dorm at MIT.”

Her smiled dropped. Without a word, she got to her feet and shuffled over to the kitchen. As she washed her hands, she asked, “Do you want me to go there? MIT?”

“You’re too good for MIT. They wouldn’t know what to do with a brain like yours. I want you to figure out what’s best for _you.”_

* * *

 

"JARVIS, you up?"

"For you, Sir, always."

"How's Dani doing?"

"Danielle has been asleep for two hours now and shows no signs of distress, which I believe is a new record since your disappearance, Sir."

Tony flinched. "Right. Keep me updated on that." He cleared his throat and tiredly dragged his hand through his hair. "I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark II." He waves his hands and watched as his computer came to life in front of him.

"Shall I store this on the Stark Industries Central Database?" JARVIS asked as the file appeared off to Tony's left.

"Actually, I don't know who to trust right now. Till further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server."

"Working on a secret project, are we, Sir?"

"I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands. Maybe in mine, it can actually do some good."

"I understand, Sir."

"Music, please."

AC/DC began blasting and Tony got to work designing. His eyes began to drag and even though his back and feet were aching he refused to stop. He needed this. He couldn't just stop.

"Sir."

He looked up sharply. "What, JARVIS? I swear, if you try to tell me that I need to sleep, I just might—"

"I was not, Sir, though I would be the first to admit that sleep would do you some good. You asked to stay updated on Danielle's status. But if you are no longer concerned, then—"

"What is it?"

"She's woken herself from a nightmare and is currently in the gym."

Tony frowned, already turning towards the workshop door. "Thought you said she was sleeping fine."

"As of three hours ago, yes, that was the case. She became agitated about fifteen minutes ago right before waking."

"Thanks, J." Tony jogged up the stairs, rubbing his eyes. The door to the gym was cracked open when he got there and Metallica was spilling out into the hallway. He pushed open the door to find Danielle running on the treadmill across the room. "JARVIS, pause music."

The music stopped and Danielle glanced back, still running. She reached out and slowed the treadmill until she was at a more gentle jog and Tony moved across the room to stand by her. "Can't sleep, kiddo?"

"No," she said simply. "And you haven't slept at all." Her words were a little breathy and she stretched her arms out as she jogged.

"Has JARVIS been keeping tabs on me for you?" Tony asked, leaning on the treadmill railing and squinting at her.

With a sigh, she finally slowed into her cool down. "Well, you still won't talk to me about what happened. So yes, I am."

Tony hummed at that, glancing at the treadmill screen. He arched an eyebrow. "A mile an a half?"

"I've gotten faster," she said simply, snatching up the hand-towel hanging over the railing and wiping her face. "Are you ready to talk, then?""Dani—"

"You promised."

"I did, didn't I?" He took a deep breath. "Alright, fine. JARVIS?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Get some coffee started, would you? Dani's gonna take a shower and then we're gonna have a . . . talk."

The treadmill finally stopped and Danielle stepped down, smiling in a way that just seemed to deepen the circles under her eyes. "Thank you."

By the time Tony's second pot of coffee finished brewing, Danielle was on the couch, pulling her wet hair back into a braid. He sat down next to her and waited for her to finish. When she did, he passed the second cup of coffee to her. "Where would you like me to start?"

She took a sip of the steaming drink and looked up at him. "The convoy.”

* * *

 

Her music was interrupted by a loud thump from the floor below her. Danielle's fingers fumbled and she hit the wrong cord. "JARVIS?" she asked, looking up with a frown. "What was that?"

"Sir is working in his workshop."

"That doesn't—" Danielle groaned and pushed herself to her feet. "Is he doing something stupid again?"

"I suppose that depends on your definition."

Danielle took the stairs and stopped in front of the glass wall looking into the workshop. She stared. "Um, JARVIS, what's that?"

"That would be Sir's latest project. I believe he's referring to it as the Mark II."

She pressed her hand against the panel and the door unlocked with a click. "Dad?" she asked, stepping through the doorframe.

He glanced over from where he was standing on a slightly raised platform. "Oh, hey, kiddo." He rubbed the side of his face, which was a little red with a tint of blue. "Came to see what your old man was up to?"

"Something like that." She approached him, studying the boots and gauntlets he was wearing. "Are those . . . ."

"The beginnings of my updated and improved version of the suit that got me out of Afghanistan? Yes." He held out his hand and she took it, turning it this way and that as she studied the design. "They just need a bit of tweaking to really get going."

She looked up, clutching the gauntlet tightly. "Can I help?"

"Sure. Why don't you take the fire extinguisher from DUM-E for now? He doesn't seem to understand what a fire is, the idiot."

Danielle giggled and took the extinguisher. She patted the robot. "Aw, I'm sorry, DUM-E. He doesn't mean that."

"Yes, I do." Tony turned towards the camera and cleared his throat. "Alright, let's start it off a little slower. How about 7% lift capacity." The propulsion practically exploded, sending Tony careening backwards into a table. He groaned. "Well, that didn't work."

"Oh, hold on," Danielle said, stepping forward. "You've got a little somethin'." She sprayed him with the extinguisher foam. "Whoops! That just made it worse!" She giggled.

Tony sputtered. "Hey!"

She dropped the extinguisher. "Uh-oh," she said, laughing. "That just made him angry. Quick, DUM-E! Run!"

"Too late!" Tony snatched her into his arms and smashed a handful of foam in her face. "There! That's better!"

"Rude!" she pouted, snatching up the extinguisher again. She wriggled out of his arms and turned, pointing it at him. "Hands up!"

"Don't you do it," he warned her. "Don't do it."

Danielle grinned. "Too late!”

* * *

 

"It worked!" Danielle squealed, bouncing up and down. "U, did you get that on camera? JARVIS, save those specs! We finally got it!"

Tony grinned, wobbling for a moment as he lowered back to the ground. He landed loudly and stumbled. "Would you look at that, kiddo. It worked! Now that the flight stabilization is smoothed out, we can start on the body armor." He stepped back over to the workshop table and began slipping off the gauntlets.

"Sir," JARVIS said. "Ms. Potts is attempting to contact you."

"Put her through."

"Tony?" Pepper said, voice now coming through JARVIS's systems. "Obadiah's here. He wants to talk. What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him I'll be right up," Tony said, sighing and struggling out of the boots. "Do you know what he wants?"

"No idea."

Tony wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. "Alright, we better go see what Obie wants."

Dani frowned, setting down her clipboard and pen. "But what about the suit?"

"It'll be here when we get back." He tugged on one of her pigtail braids. "Let's go." He led the way up the stairs. "Obie! How'd the meeting go?"

Obadiah glanced at him, setting a pizza box on the coffee table. He stepped back as Danielle instantly made a beeline for it, grinning. Tony frowned. "That bad, huh?"

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad. Maybe I just brought it for the kid's birthday." Obadiah dropped a wrapped parcel on the table beside the pizza box. "Have at it," he told her.

Danielle wiped the pizza grease off of her hands with her oil-stained shirt, barely paying attention to the conversation as she pulled the wrapping paper off the gift. "Whoa! Cool! I was thinking about getting these. These are amazing!" She put the headphones on and sighed at how comfortable they were, turning towards Obadiah and Tony. Neither of them were paying attention to her, arguing about something—what, she wasn't sure. Danielle frowned, taking the headphones off.

"We own the controlling interest in the company!"

"Tony, the board has rights too. They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."

"I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me, for the company! I mean me, on the company's behalf, being responsible for the way that— This is great." Tony groaned, digging his hands in his hair and turning away.

"C'mon, Tony. Tony!"

"I'll be in the shop."

"Hey, hey!"

"Obie?" Danielle asked curiously, getting to her feet. She waited for him to face her, turning the headphones over in her hands. "I thought the company couldn't do anything without Dad agreeing."

"The real world doesn't work that way, Danielle." He glanced back at where Tony had gone. "You wouldn't happen to know what your father's working on down there, would you?"

"Nothing for Stark Industries," she said, smiling tightly.

"You're a clever one," Obadiah said, moving past her towards the door. "Happy birthday. Out of curiosity, what did Tony get you?"

"A violin," she said, lifting her chin. "I'll probably wear the headphones so I don't hear myself messing up too much when I first start learning out to play it."

He chuckled. "Smart kid. Hey, keep an eye on your dad for me, will you?"

She faltered. "Um, yeah. Of course."

"Good. I'll show myself out."

Danielle stared after him as he left. Then she set the headphones down on the table and picked up the pizza box. "Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think Dad's hungry?"

"Sir has not eaten in thirteen hours, so I would assume he is, even if he doesn't realize it."

"Uh-huh. It's pepperoni. He likes pepperoni.”

* * *

 

The ceiling broke just a heartbeat before the piano shattered beneath her fingers. She screamed as the floor bent beneath her and scrambled backwards over the piano bench. The seat toppled and she hit the floor hard, lungs constricting. Danielle stared at the new hole in the floor.

"Dad?" she rasped. "Oh my— Dad!"

She scrabbled for something to grab on to and hauled herself to her feet. "Dad!" she yelled, almost falling down the stairs in her rush. "Daddy!" Danielle slammed the door open and slid to a stop, staring at the crushed sports car and the suit of armor dragging itself up from it. "Daddy! Oh my god! What happened!" She stumbled to a stop, knees bumping harshly against the twisted metal. "Dad?"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm okay, kiddo," he gasped out, fumbling for a moment before managing to lift the faceplate. "Think I just," —he winced— "maybe bruised my ribs."

"Did you . . . ." She looked up at the hole in the ceiling. "Do you _fly_ it? You didn't tell me you were gonna fly it today!"

He struggled to his feet and began removing the armor. "I kinda figured _why not?"_

"Why not?" She pointed at the crushed car as he walked away. "That's exactly why not! That, that—"

"Hey, breathe, Dani. Look, I'm okay." He spread out his arms so she could see him. "It's called armor for a reason."

She took a long, shaky breath and rubbed her eyes. "You're okay," she echoed. "You're okay, you're okay."

Tony smiled sadly and stepped over to her. "I'm okay," he promised. "And hey, our little pet project managed to fly!"


	5. Get busy living (get busy dying)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title comes from Different Seasons by Stephen King.

"Do you think you could bribe the judge to get me an easy sentence if I finally snap and kill all the paparazzi?" she asked, frowning out the window as the limo slowed to a stop in front of the concert hall.

Tony chuckled. "Let's not find out today, okay? C'mon, there's free food inside."

She slid across the seat so she'd be able to follow him out. As Happy opened the door, she asked, "Can I have a fake ID for the bar?"

"Absolutely not." He stepped out of the limo, fixing his tie. He turned and offered Danielle his hand, helping her out. She squinted at the flashing cameras and followed him up the stairs.

"Hey, Tony," a woman said, smiling and turning towards them. "Remember me?"

"Sure don't," he said automatically, adjusting Danielle's hand so it rested on the crook of his arm.

Danielle glanced back at the woman. "Ew, Dad," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Seriously."

He shot her a grin but it died quickly as they approached Obadiah. He cleared his throat and interrupted the interview. "What's this world coming to when a guy has to crash his own party?"

Obadiah turned towards him. "Hey, look at you. What a surprise." He didn't look impressed. He glanced down towards Danielle. "You're all dressed up, even."

She wrinkled her nose but Tony rested a hand on the top of her head. "I'll see you inside," he told Obadiah.

"Hey. Listen. Take it slow, alright? I think I've got the board right where I want them."

"You got it," Tony said, but there was an odd tightness in his voice that made Danielle look up. "I'll just be a minute." He steered Danielle into the building. "I'm feeling like a Scotch. How about you?"

She grinned, though eying him worriedly. "I'd love a Scotch too."

"Yeah, yeah. You're getting a water, kiddo." He stopped at the bar and leaned forward. "One Scotch for me and a water for my kid," he said, waving down the bartender.

"Mr. Stark?" someone asked.

Danielle looked up and grinned. "Phil!"

Tony frowned. "Sorry? Who's this, Dani?"

"Dad, this is Agent Coulson. He's with SHIELD."

Coulson smiled and stepped towards them. "Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There's still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor with these things."

Tony nodded, taking the Scotch from the bartender and tossing some of it back. He nudged the water towards Danielle. "Let's just put something on the books."

"How about the twenty-fourth at seven PM at Stark Industries?" Coulson asked.

Tony got distracted by something out in the rest of the room. Danielle frowned and followed his gaze to Pepper. She grinned. Pepper was wearing the dress she'd helped choose. Tony patted Danielle on the head. "You got it, Agent," Tony said. "I'm going to have a chat with my assistant. Keep an eye on my kid for me, will you? Warning: she's a talker." With that, he left.

Danielle excitedly turned towards Coulson, clutching her glass of water. "What are the physical expectations for someone in the Academy of Operations? Like, is there a test to get in?"

"There's an exam," he admitted, arching an eyebrow. "You have to meet a certain level of benchmark requirements to be considered. Then, of course, there's the interview that you have to pass as well."

"How old would I have to be?"

"Typically, because of the growth that happens at the age you are now, the Academy won't accept anyone under the age of sixteen. Your fighting style would just have to change too much the taller you got."

She pursed her lips. "Okay. So I have what, three years to prepare? I can do that."

"You really want to join SHIELD, Stark?" he asked.

"I'm definitely thinking about it," she said, shrugging and sipping at her water. Then she frowned. "Hey, you don't think you could get me some wine, do you?"

"No."

"Two vodka martinis, extra dry, extra olives, extra fast," Tony said, leaning up against the bar. "Hey, kiddo."

Danielle looked up and smiled. "Getting a drink for Pepper? Aw, that's sweet."

"Yeah, you're a sap."

"Tony Stark," a new voice said. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight."

Danielle glanced up and frowned. "Hey, Brown, right?" she asked. Tony looked down at her and Danielle crossed her arms. "How's that acting coming?"

Tony shook his head with a slight smile and turned to Christine. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm referring to your company's involvement in this latest atrocity."

"I'm sorry?" he repeated, ignoring the drinks that were placed at his elbow by his bartender.

She held out a stack of photos. "It's a town called Gulmira. Heard of it?"

Tony snatched up the pictures and began looking through them. Danielle rose on her toes to catch a glimpse. She frowned at what she saw. "Dad?"

"When were these taken?" he asked sharply.

"Yesterday," Christine said.

"I didn't approve any shipment."

"Well, your company did."

"I'm not my company. Dani, stay with the agent. I have someone I need to talk to." Tony pushed past Christine and started for the door.

Danielle looked up at Christine. "What's that about?"

"Sorry," Christine said with a tense smile. "I can't talk to you about this. I need to remain unbiased, don't I?" With that, she turned and left.

Danielle stared at her. Then she swallowed thickly. To her left, Coulson said, "Stark?"

She cleared her throat. "Right, then. Guess we can't let these go to waste." She reached for one of the martinis.

"I don't think so," Coulson said, sliding both of them away.

She pouted. "Jeez, adults really are no fun."

"Danielle," Tony said, approaching them quickly. "It's time to go. Happy's waiting outside."

She frowned. "Wait, Dad, what's going on? I thought you were taking drinks to Pepper?"

He hesitated, taking her hand and turning towards the front door. Danielle shook her head. "Dad, did you say bye to Pepper?"

"Go to the car," he ordered. "I'll be there in just a bit."

"But Dad—"

“Go!"

* * *

 

"Where were you?"

"Not now, Danielle," Tony said, stepping up and lifting his arms so the machines could start taking the armor off.

"Really? It's Danielle now?" She crossed her arms and eyed the armor. Danielle swallowed thickly. "Are those . . . bullet holes? Dad? Does this have to do with what Brown said yesterday? Those pictures?"

"Danielle— Ow! Hey!"

"It is a tight fit, Sir," JARVIS said.

"Yeah, yeah. Watch it!"

"Sir, the more you struggle the more this is going to hurt."

Danielle couldn't help the curl in her lips. "That's what she said," she mumbled.

Tony's gaze jumped to her. "Hey, whoa, no. Not cool, Dani." But a grin was tugging at his mouth.

"What's going on here?"

Danielle jumped, glancing towards the doorway where Pepper stood. Tony cleared his throat. "Let's face it," he said. "This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."

Danielle made gagging sounds. "Gross!"

"Are those bullet holes?" Pepper asked, staring.

"Question him all you want," Danielle said, scowling. "Apparently he's not sharing anything again. I'm getting pretty used to it."

Tony flinched. "Sorry, kiddo." He glanced towards Pepper. "Could you do me a favor and order in some take-out for us? Then you can go home for the day. I'll be fine."

Pepper hesitated and then nodded. "Right. I can do that." She turned and left.

The armor's chest plate finally came off and Tony gasped in relief. "Finally."

"Is that the Mark III?" she asked, curiously as she watched the robots take off the rest of it. "Can I . . . take a look?"

"Of course." He stepped down from the platform and motioned her forward.

She stepped up as the robots put the armor back together. Danielle ran her fingers over the bullet holes and focused in on the joints. "None of the bullets got through. You improved the density, then?"

"It took a little finagling, but yes, I did." Tony cleared his throat and leaned against the table. "How, uh, how are you independent studies going? I noticed some books in Russian lying around. What happened to German?"

She shrugged. "Got through it. Still could use some real world practice, but figured it was time to move on to another one. My brain just doesn't like sitting still."

"You come by it honestly." He pushed himself up with a sigh. "Hey, Dani?"

She looked up and frowned. "Yeah, Dad?"

He stopped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry that after Afghanistan I came back without ever actually . . . coming _back._ I'm sorry."

She smiled weakly. "It's okay."

"No. No, it's really not. And I'm sorry. I'll try to do better."

Danielle swallowed. "Really?" she asked, voice cracking.

"I love you, kiddo. So I promise." He dragged her into a hug and pressed a kiss against her temple. Danielle tucked her head against his shoulder and curled her fingers in his shirt. Tony whispered, "I promise.”

* * *

 

As the credits began to roll, Danielle popped up from the couch. "Oh! I have a present for you!"

Tony blinked, shoveling another handful of popcorn in his mouth. "What? Really? What for?"

She grinned. "You'll see. Stay here and I'll get it." She skipped over to the stairs. "And don't start _WALL-E_ without me!" she yelled over her shoulder, scrambling up the stairs. Danielle raced down the hall and slid her way into her room. She flicked on her light and stepped over to her desk.

"Alright," she mumbled to herself. "Gift," she said, setting the wrapped square in the middle of the desk. "Card." She opened the card to double check it was done. Then she slipped it in the envelope and licked the flap. Danielle wrinkled her nose and sealed it shut. "Ribbon." She set the card on top of the gift and looped the ribbon about it. She tied it neatly. "There!"

Danielle turned and took the stairs two at a time as she went back downstairs. But as she turned the corner, she stopped and her heart caught in her throat.

"Oh, it's beautiful. Tony, this is your ninth symphony."

"Obie?" she rasped, staring at the arc reactor in the man's hands. Then her gaze dragged to her father's pale, still face. "What— What are you doing!" She dropped the gift in her hands.

Obadiah looked up and straightened. "Oh, Danielle," he sighed. "What a pity. I really was hoping you wouldn't get involved."

"Give it back!" she yelled, voice breaking and stepping forward. "What are you— Dad!" Tony's eyes managed to turn towards her and she swallowed at how bloodshot they were. "You're killing him! Give it back!" she screamed, running for him. "Daddy!"

A tough hand closed roughly around her shoulder. "Oh, Danielle," Obadiah said with a sigh. "You were supposed to be smart."

The floor dropped out from under her and she felt her heart jumping as she was thrown away. She slammed into something and it shattered beneath her. Pain exploded in her head and she screamed.

And then everything was black.


	6. I have been bent and broken (I hope into a better shape)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a lot of people have pointed out that this doesn’t seem like and SI/Self-Insert fic and you’re right. It’s not. I’ve fixed the summary. Honestly, I’ve been so used to Samsaric/Rage, Rage/the other SI fics I’m working on that I think I added that to the description just by habit. Thank you for pointing that out to me! This is just an OC-fic, with the main character having no prior life and/or memories.
> 
> This chapter title comes from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god." Rhodey dropped to his knees in the shattered glass and his fingers slipped against the blood as he felt for a pulse. "Oh, thank god," he gasped out, shoulders slumping. Then he dug out his phone, smearing blood across the screen as he typed in the number. "JARVIS, where's Tony?"

"He's downstairs in his shop. Currently unconscious."

"Thank you." Rhodey got to his feet and rushed to the stairs, lifting his phone to his ear. "I need an ambulance right away!" He listed off the address and hung up as he reached the door to Tony's workshop. He stepped inside. "Tony? Tony? Tony!" He put a hand on Tony's shoulder and shook him. "Tony! You okay?"

Tony gasped, snapping up and his hand closing sharply around Rhodey's forearm. "Where's Dani?" he rasped out.

"Upstairs. I called an ambulance."

"Where's Pepper?" Tony asked, struggling to his feet.

"She's fine. She's with five agents."

Tony limped over to his suit. "Not gonna be enough. Take care of Dani."

"What— Of course." Rhodey stepped back, staring as the suit closed around Tony. He swallowed. "You need me to do anything else?"

"Keep the skies clear. And keep my kid alive.”

* * *

 

The walls were deathly white, except for where they met the ceiling. There, they were pasted with an ugly, flower-patterned wallpaper, interrupted only by an old flat-screen TV that was playing some sort of Spanish soap opera. Her head lolled to the side and a flinch shuddered up her spine at the way her head ached when she moved. She spotted Tony in the recliner next to the bed, flat out asleep.

"Dad," she tried to say, but it came out as more of a rasp of air over her teeth than a word. She tried again. "Dad."

He jerked up, rubbing his eyes. "Dani?"

"Can you change the channel?" she whispered, smiling weakly.

"Oh my— Dani!" he exclaimed. She winced back at the noise and he hesitated before pulling his chair closer. "Sorry. How do you feel?"

"Did you sue the bus driver that hit me?"

"Sure did." He smiled, but it was strained. "Do you remember what happened?"

She closed her eyes, her headache making it hard to think. "Yeah," she mumbled. "You're okay, though."

"I'm okay."

"And Obadiah?" She opened her eyes.

"He's not going to hurt you ever again, okay?" Tony smoothed her hair away from her face and leaned forward. He kissed her sweaty forehead.

"Okay." She scratched at the bandage over her IV.

"Don't do that," he murmured, pulling her hand away.

"But it itches," she whined.

He chuckled. "I know. I'm sorry." He put his hand on her hair. "Get some more sleep, sweetie. You need as much of it as you can to heal up."

"But—"

"I'll be here when you wake up. "Promise?"

“Promise."

* * *

 

"Dani. Dani, wake up, sweetheart."

Danielle stirred. "Five more minutes," she mumbled. But as she turned over, blinding pain shot through her head. She yelped in alarm.

"Whoa, careful. Try not to move too much." A hand gripped hers. "I have to go to a press conference about yesterday, okay?"

"Okay," she murmured, managed to open her eyes. "You gonna be gone long?"

"Well, afterwards I'm gonna go back home and get it straightened up for when you go home tomorrow. But then I'll be back."

"Change the channel for me?"

"Of course." He picked up the remote attached to her bed and cycled through the channels until he got to the news. "There. Rhodey's out in the hallway. He's gonna come stay with you. Have him call me if you need anything."

"Okay." She managed a smile, though her eyes were dragging. She gave in and closed her eyes. Danielle felt him press a kiss against her forehead. When she opened her eyes again, Rhodey was sitting in the chair by her bed and reading a book. "Rhodey?"

He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Goose. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," she groaned, fumbling for the remote. She pressed the button to raise the top of the bed, making it easier for her to sit up. "How long was I asleep?"

"Just an hour. Tony's gonna be on soon."

She glanced towards the TV. "Oh, okay."

"Are you hungry? You missed breakfast and lunch got dropped off just a couple minutes ago."

"I'm okay," she mumbled. "Maybe a little later. There's Dad." She watched as he got up to the podium and started reading from the cards, only to be interrupted by Christine.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit the conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you—"

"I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

"Oh god," Danielle mumbled. "He's rambling."

"Did you really expect anything else?" Rhodey asked, though he looked incredibly unimpressed.

"I'm just not the hero type," Tony said. "Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public—" To his right, Coulson leaned in and said something. Tony took a deep breath and lifted the cards, staring at them. "The truth is . . . ." He looked up at the crowd and something in his expression changed. "I am Iron Man."

"Oh, Tony," Rhodey groaned.

Danielle frowned. "Iron Man? It's— The suit's not iron," she instantly began protesting.

"Yeah, okay, nerd," Rhodey chuckled. "C'mon. You need to eat.”

* * *

 

Tony stared at the shattered glass table and the blood that stained the broken pieces. He forced the rage suffocating his heart to stop. "JARVIS. Call a cleaning crew to come in and take care of all this. And call someone to finally fix where I fell through the house. Can't bring Dani back to this disaster." He started towards the stairs, but something crunched under his feet.

Tony looked down, stepping back. The wrapped paper was dirty and torn and the envelop tied to it was bent. He leaned down and picked it up. _Dad_ was scrawled across the envelop in Danielle's familiar cursive and he felt his heart constrict. He swallowed and slid his finger under the flap, loosening it. Tony pulled out the card inside. He chuckled at the cute dog on the front and opened it.

_You're pretty pawsome!_

Under the text sat her practiced, loopy handwriting, dotted with plenty of smiley faces and stars and hearts. Her words filled the rest of the card, talking first about how she had stared writing the music to distract herself while he was gone before rambling into a story about having to call in a piano tuner, which spilled into the same tuna-piano joke he'd heard from her dozens off times and took up enough space that it continued on the back of the card. With shaking hands, he tucked the card away in his suit jacket.

"She's okay," he reminded himself. "This won't ever happen again.”

* * *

 

"Careful. Don't go too fast, now. Whoa, whoa, don't—"

"Dad," she whined. "I'm not going to fall apart. You're being a worrier." Despite her words, she clung desperately to his arm and her knees shook as she walked.

"Welcome home, Danielle," JARVIS greeted warmly.

"Thanks, J."

"Would you like the lights up?"

"No, thank you. My eyes are still hurting." With her father's help, she made it over to the couch. He lowered her down.

"Anything I can get for you, kiddo? Water? Hot chocolate?"

"Wine?" she asked hopefully, grinning. When he gave her an unimpressed look, she pouted. "Fine. I'll have some hot chocolate."

Tony nodded and straightened. "Coming right up." He turned towards the kitchen.

"'I am Iron Man.'"

Tony whipped back around to the voice, stepping between it and Danielle. She squeaked in alarm, grabbing a pillow as a poor form of self-defense. Tony scowled at the figure that was standing at the window, looking out at the sea. "Who the hell are you?"

"You think you're the only superhero in the world?" The man turned, hands folded behind his back. Danielle watched him nervously, unable to stop the way her hands had begun to tremble. "Mr. Stark," the man said. "You've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."

"Who the hell are you?" Tony asked again, voice tight. Unrelenting. Angry.

"Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."


	7. Merry Christmas (what right have you to be merry?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short and I’m sorry. It’s acting as a bridge between the storylines of Iron Man and Iron Man 2.
> 
> This chapter title comes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

"How are your lessons with Rhodey going?" Tony asked, guiding her to the garage with a hand on her shoulder.

She yawned widely and rubbed her eyes. "Good," she mumbled. "He says that it helps that I'm already in shape." She stumbled a little over her own two feet and he caught her elbow. "Where are we going? Are you gonna tell me?"

"It's a surprise. Let's call it an early Christmas present."

Danielle fumbled with the handle for a moment before managing to get her car door open. Then she slumped into the seat. Rolling his eyes, Tony reached across her to grab the seatbelt. He drew it across her and buckled it. "Alright, sleepyhead, let's go."

Danielle let the hum of the engine lull her back to sleep, face pressed up against the glass. She yawned, eyes closed. "Ugh, it's too early," she whined.

Tony chuckled. "I can't wait until you're fully healed up and you go back to being an early bird. You calling seven AM too early is just scary."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. He told me your aim is pretty good."

She sighed and then sat up properly, watching the buildings as they passed. "Yeah. Good enough for the Iron Man suit?" She turned her hopeful gaze to him.

"Nice try, Dani. No. You're gonna have to be a little older for that."

"How old?" she asked watching as they turned another street. "Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Let's say forty." He slowed down and pulled into a parking lot.

"Forty? That's— Why are we at a rescue shelter?"

He stopped the car and glanced towards her. "Well, I figured that with your training with Rhodey and that since you're getting older, I don't need anyone to babysit you. Besides JARVIS, that is. But I don't want you to be lonely when I'm gone."

She stared out at the building. "Really?"

"Really."

Danielle thought for a moment and then grinned. She scrambled out of the car and was in the front door before Tony had even turned off the engine. She stopped at the front desk with a grin. "Hi! I'm here to adopt."

The woman looked up and smiled. "Oh? Do you have a parent with you?"

"Yeah. He's coming. He's just slow." She looked back in time to see the door open.

Tony took his glasses of and offered the receptionist a smile. "Sorry. She tends to run ahead of me sometimes."

The woman stared, jaw loosening as she recognized him. Then she cleared her throat and straightened. "Of course! We have lots of excellent options! Do you have a particular kind of animal in mind, little one?" she asked, smiling down at Danielle.

Danielle wrinkled her nose and shrugged. "Dunno. I should probably take a look."

"Alright, then. Right this way." She turned and led them through the back door into a corridor lined by large, glass-walled cages and rooms. "This sweet girl came to us just a couple days ago," she said, stopping in front of one door. "Her name is Daisy. She's truly a good option for a family—"

"What about this one?"

The woman followed where Danielle had gone to find her stopped in front of a cage, watching the angry black cat pacing inside. The woman hesitated. "I'm not sure he's a good option. He's a bit . . . wild. We've had him for well over a month now and he's shown that he doesn't really like people. He was found hurt on the side of the road and brought to us."

"How old is he?" Danielle asked curiously, studying the cat's ripped ear.

"Estimated about two years, maybe three."

Danielle nodded and looked towards her dad. "I want this one."

"Are you sure?" the woman asked. "We have plenty of other—"

"This one," she repeated stubbornly. She leaned forward, pressing a hand against the glass. "I want this one.”

* * *

 

"Up already?"

Danielle glanced back and grinned. "Morning, Dad! Bacon and I decided to get an early start."

Tony stopped, ruffling his hair and blinking at her. "Bacon?"

"Yep!" She glanced down and nudged the scarred cat curled up at her feet. Then she continued plating the scrambled eggs. "That's his name. I, uh, originally was gonna have bacon with breakfast but it turns out that he really, really likes it."

"You're telling me that this cat ate all my bacon?" Tony asked, crouching down and staring at him. Bacon stared right back, tail flicking. "Not a great start, kitty cat. Nobody eats my food."

"Hey, he's new, give him some slack."

Tony rolled his eyes and got to his feet. "Fine. But only because it's Christmas." He dragged Danielle into a hug. "Merry Christmas, kiddo."

She grinned, hugging him back and stepping awkwardly around Bacon. "Merry Christmas, Daddy.”

* * *

 

_Blood Toxicity: 3.78%_

Tony stared at it, hands shaking. This was real. This was very, very real in the way that it made his heart try to collapse in on itself and his lung constricted with a need for air.

He was dying.

"Dad?" Danielle knocked loudly on the door again. "I thought you said we were going to a movie!"

He jerked back, dropping the machine. It bounced harmlessly on the bed. "Uh, yeah, honey!" he called, praying to whoever was out there that his voice wouldn't break. "Sorry! I got distracted!"

"By what? Your reflection?" Then she broke off in giggles, laughing at her own joke. "C'mon! I'm gonna wait in the car!"

"Okay!" He listened as she walked away and stared down at the blood welling up at the end of his finger.

This couldn't be happening.

He couldn't be leaving her alone.


	8. Something has reached its end (it doesn’t matter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title comes from The Zahir by Paul Coelho.

"Dad!"

Tony looked up from his machine and smiled as Danielle raced across the backstage. Behind her, Happy ducked in through one of the doors and offered him a helpless shrug. Tony tucked the machine away and grunted as Danielle slammed into her. "Well? Did you get your VIP look around before everyone else floods the EXPO presentations?"

"Yep." Danielle frowned, playing with the pockets on her dress. "I think my prototypes are pretty amateur in comparison. Don't you think that people are gonna say I only got a spot because of you?"

Tony laughed and put an arm around her, steering her towards the backstage exit. "That's ridiculous. CNS grafted prosthetics? No one is doing that. It's a breakthrough, Dani."

"You're right that no one is doing it. _I'm_ not even doing it. Right now it's all theory and prototypes!"

Happy interrupted. "Here we go. Ready?"

Tony looked up through the doors. "Oh, boy. It's a zoo out there. So watch out."

Danielle sighed and nodded. "Got it."

Happy opened the door and instantly a flood of voices attacked her senses. She put on a tightlipped smile and stuck close to her father as Happy guided them through the crowd. Most everyone was focused on Tony—shouting questions and hellos and getting two or three word responses. But occasionally she would get someone yelling her name and shoving a microphone in her face. It was a good thing that she had perfected the word no. One taste of that sharp word and people usually forgot all about speaking to her.

As they approached the car, Happy began to talk about how it was the new model and all of its accessories when Tony interrupted. "Hey, does she come with the car?"

"I doubt it," Danielle said, cocking her head to the side. "Who are you?"

The woman glanced towards her and smiled politely. "Marshal."

Tony stepped forward, a hand on Danielle's shoulder to keep her still. "Do you mind telling me where you're from?"

"Bedford."

"What are you doing here?"

"Serving subpoenas." She held out a letter.

"Yikes."

Danielle glanced up, feeling her dad tense his hand on her shoulder. She smiled and held out her hand. "He doesn't like being handed things. He'll want to see the badge, though."

"The badge?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I like the badge," Tony said, taking the letter from Danielle. When the woman held out her badge, he took a moment to study it. Then he nodded. "Yep. That's it." He turned Danielle towards the car. "Thanks. Nice meeting you. Happy? How far are we from DC?"

"DC? 250 miles."

Danielle eyed him. "Do you have an internal GPS I need to know about?" she asked, climbing into the car. "'Cause that's pretty freaky."

"Uh-huh. I don't have to stay in the car with her the whole trip, do I?"

Tony started the engine. "Don't be like that. My daughter is a blessing to be around.”

* * *

 

_"It's a high-tech prosthesis. That is . . . that is . . . That's actually the most apt description I can make of it."_

Danielle laughed and reached for the remote. After turning up the TV's volume, she returned to her machine. Her soldering iron hissed as she worked only to be interrupted.

"Meow?"

"Huh?" Danielle paused and glanced to the side. "Hey, silly. You need something?" She set her iron down and then turned back to her blueprints and notes. Picking up her pencil, she began to make changes. Bacon meowed in distress and swatted the pencil away. "Hey! I'm using that, you brat!" She bopped the cat on the nose. Bacon backed up and sneezed, sending Danielle into a fit of giggles.

_"Let the record reflect that I observed Mr. Hammer entering the chamber, and I am wondering if and when any actual expert will also be in attendance."_

Danielle rolled her eyes at the Tv and then reached down to her bag beside the desk, digging through it for graph paper. She pulled out her notebook of graph paper and flipped through it. Bacon batted at her hair as she worked. Danielle frowned. "Aw, c'mon. It's full." With a groan, she tossed the notebook aside and got to her feet. "What do you think, Bacon? You think Dad'll have some?"

_"You're requesting that I read specific selections from my report, Senator?"_

Bacon meowed loudly.

"Right. Of course he would." She dropped to her knees and grunted with effort as she dragged Tony's suitcase out from under his bed. She unzipped it. "Graph, graph, graph," she murmured to herself, flipping the bag open. Then she stopped short, blinking at the little box of metal sitting atop everything else in the bag, the words _Stark Medical Scanner_ engraved above the analog screen. Danielle frowned and picked it up.

Danielle turned it on and then took a deep breath. She pressed her thumb into the needle and felt it prick the skin. The screen blinked for a moment.

_Blood Toxicity: 0%_

She put her thumb in her mouth, sucking off the blood, and glanced back at the suitcase. Off to the side sat several labeled drink containers. Danielle leaned forward and dropped the scanner. She reached out and picked up a bottle.

_"Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Mr. Stark's suit. This has been corroborated by our allies and local intelligence on the ground."_

Danielle wasn't sure when she'd started shaking, still studying the green word printed on the bottle: _chlorophyll._ She dropped the bottle and slapped her hand over her mouth as the first sob broke through.

_"If you will direct your attention to said screens, I believe that's North Korea."_

Danielle slumped back against the bed and buried her face in her hands, unable to stop the way her shoulders were shaking. She folded her arms around her knees. "Okay, okay, okay," she mumbled through her tears. "Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. It just means, it just, it— God." She broke off with a cry.

_"I think we're done is the point he's making. I don't think there's any reason—"_

_"The point is, your welcome, I guess."_

Bacon bumped his head against her leg and Danielle looked down. "S-sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to freak you out." She gently pushed Bacon away and rubbed her eyes. "Okay. I've got this."

_"I've successfully privatized world peace."_

Danielle turned off the scanner and wiped off any trace of blood. She carefully put everything back where it'd been before and zipped the suitcase closed before shoving it back under the bed. "I, uh, I need a shower," she muttered, stubbornly ignoring her tears. "Yeah, that sounds good."

_"You've been a delight.”_

* * *

 

The door opened and Danielle looked up, smiling like she could pretend to herself that she wasn't falling apart inside. "Hey, Daddy! You have fun annoying senators?"

He laughed, loosening his tie. "You know it. How's everything here?"

"Boring. I made a little progress, but got distracted by you making fun of Hammer." She rubbed her forehead.

"Hmm." He kicked off his shoes. "Sorry for distracting you. Headache?"

"Just a little."

"Ah. So you're not too grumpy to watch a crappy soap opera with me?"

She grinned. "Never too grumpy for that."

"Great!" Without warning, he shoved her playfully aside so he could get on the bed beside her. "Remote?" Once she'd handed it to him, he pulled her against his side and wrapped an arm around her. When she leaned her head against her shoulder with a sigh, he paused and looked down. "You okay, Dani?"

"Hmm?" She looked up. Then she smiled. "Yeah I'm great."

Bacon jumped up on the bed, meowing loudly. He climbed into Danielle's lap and curled up. Tony watched as his daughter played with the cat's tail. Then he leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure.”

* * *

 

"Kick his ass, baby!" Tony yelled.

Happy glanced towards him. "That's not the type of behavior you should be encour—"

Danielle's gloved hand slammed into his face and Happy stumbled backwards. Danielle grinned, keeping her hands up in a defensive position. "Sorry, Haps," she said, laughing. "You good?"

"Am I good? You just sucker punched my face!"

"Notary's here!" Pepper called, entering the room with a stranger closer behind.

"Pepper!" Ignoring Happy's protest, Danielle climbed out of the ring.

Pepper sighed. "No, no, no. Don't—" When Danielle threw her arms around her, Pepper wrinkled her nose. "You're so sweaty. Gross. Stinky."

"Hmm. That's just the smell of progress," Danielle said, pulling back and putting her hands on her hips.

Tony got to his feet, leaning against the edge of the ring. "What's your name, lady?"

"Rushman," the redhead said. "Natalie Rushman."

Tony nodded, studying her. Then he motioned her forward. "Front and center. Come into the church."

Pepper sighed. "No. You're seriously not going to—"

"If it pleases the court, which it does."

Natalie smiled at Pepper. "It's no problem." She began taking off her heels.

"I'm sorry," Pepper said. "He's very eccentric."

As Natalie ducked into the ring, Tony took another swig of his drink and Danielle glanced away, knowing full and well it was chlorophyll. Tony said, "Happy, give her a lesson."

"You just have to harass my new PA, don't you?" Pepper muttered, following Tony off to the side.

Danielle only half paid attention to their conversation, watching the two in the ring. Happy was swinging his arms back and forth to keep warm. "You ever boxed before?"

"I have, yes," Natalie said easily.

"What, like, tae bo? Booty boot camp? Crunch? Something like that?"

Annoyance crossed over Natalie's face, but she was interrupted by Tony. "How do you spell your name, Natalie?"

She looked over her shoulder. "R. U. S. H. M. A. N."

"Rule number one," Happy said, hand up. "Never take your eyes off your opponent." He took a swing.

Natalie looked back and caught his hand easily. She jumped, legs around his head, and flipped him onto his back. Behind her, Danielle heard Pepper yell, "Oh, god, Happy!"

Happy coughed, climbing to his feet. "I just slipped."

"Slipped?" Danielle asked, laughing. "That was fucking awesome!"

"Language," Tony said, tapping her on the head. "That looked like a TKO to me, Happy." He reached out and rung the bell.

Natalie ducked out of the ring and straightened her shirt. "I just need your impression."

"You . . . have a quiet reserve. I don't know, you have an old soul."

Natalie took the binder from Pepper and opened it. "I meant your fingerprint."

"Right." As he did so, he glanced askance at Danielle when she laughed. Then he glanced up at Pepper. "You're the boss!"

"Great. We're done here, then. Natalie?" Pepper turned and left the room.

Danielle watched go with wide eyes. "That was awesome," she breathed. "Happy! Can you teach me to do that?"

Happy stripped off his gloves. "Nope. I'm done today. Completely done."

Danielle pouted. Then she began taking off her own gloves. "Fine. If you're really gonna be such a grump about it.”

* * *

 

"About time you made it," Pepper said, smiling. She reached out and adjusted Danielle's necklace. "How'd you like the Rose Garden?"

"I liked it a lot," Danielle said with a grin. "We should put a garden in back at the house." When Pepper moved to do a once over on her hair, the girl knocked her hands aside. "I'm fine."

Pepper sighed. "Okay. Our table is back this way."

Danielle followed her and lit up when she saw who was by the table, looking over a clipboard. "Natalie!"

The redhead glanced at her and smiled. "Hello, Miss Stark."

"Mr Musk!" Pepper said, smiling at the man by the table. "How are you?"

"Hi, Pepper," he greeted. "Congratulations on the promotion."

"Thank you very much."

Tony clapped the man on the shoulder. "Elon, how's it going? Those Merlin engines are fantastic."

"Thank you. Yeah, I've got an idea for an electric jet."

Danielle's eyes widened. "Whoa. How are you solving the high combustion problem?"

"Well—"

"Anthony, is that you?"

Danielle glanced back to find them being approached by someone. She frowned. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Language," Tony sighed, tapping the top her head. "Justin Hammer."

"How you doing? You're not the only rich guy here with a fancy car. You know Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair?"

"I know her!" Danielle piped up, grinning. "She needs to work on her comebacks better."

Pepper sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Danielle, please."

"Ah," Justin said. "Big story!" he told Christine. "The new CEO of Stark Industries."

Christine smiled. "I know, I know." She spoke over Justin as he tried to continue. "My editor would kill me if I didn't get a quote for our Powerful Women issue. Can I?"

Pepper blinked and then smiled. "Sure."

"How's this for a quote?" Danielle asked, grinning. She heard Pepper make a warning noise but ignored her. "A powerful woman knows she doesn't have to sell her body for a good story." She let her gaze flick to Christine's shirt, which had one button too many undone exposing the edge of her lacy bra. Then Danielle looked towards Justin Hammer, who had a smudge of pink lipstick matching Christine's near his ear.

"Danielle!" Pepper gasped.

Tony snorted and wound an arm around her shoulders. "I love you, kiddo," he said, laughing. Then he pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll be back in just a bit, 'kay?"


	9. Life is to be lived (in the face of certain defeat)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is from Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

 

"Get him. I need Happy."

Danielle couldn't stop watching the TV. Her nails were digging painfully into her palm, fingers curled tightly around her fork. Her mouth had gone dry. She knew exactly what this was. She knew it. And it terrified her.

"Danielle." Pepper pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

"What's he doing?" Danielle asked with a shaky voice. "I mean, I know what he's doing, but . . . ." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Your father is an idiot," Pepper told her. "I know you tell him that enough, but it's worth repeating."

"What is he doing?" someone asked.

Danielle looked up to find a pit crew person walking out in the middle of the track. His top practically melted away, exposing the metal harness. He raised his arm and a whip flashed brightly, slicing through an on coming car and send it careening to the side.

"Oh, my god," Pepper gasped. She glanced back. "Natalie! Thank god you're here. I'm going with Happy. Take Danielle back to the hotel."

Danielle stiffened as Natalie agreed and then put her hands on her shoulders. "Wait, no, but Dad—"

"Let's go," Natalie said calmly, easily pulling Danielle up from the chair.

"But—"

"Let's go," Natalie said again, wrapping an arm around Danielle's shoulders and steering her away. "Your father is going to be just fine. Let's go."

Danielle threw one last look at the TV before letting Natalie guide her out the door and the car. They were halfway back to the hotel when Danielle muttered, "He's being stupid."

"Hmm?"

She sighed and dropped her head back against the headrest. "I'm hungry. I didn't get to finish my food."

"We'll order in."

"Pizza?"

"I don't see why not."

"Thanks." Danielle sat forward and tugged a hand through her curled hair. "Hey, Nat?"

"Hmm?"

"It's okay if I call you Nat, right?"

Natalie glanced towards her and smiled once, nodding. "It's okay."

"Thanks. Do you . . . think my dad's gonna be okay?"

"I think that's up to him."

* * *

"B4."

Natalie glanced across her pieces and then sighed. "You sank my battleship."

"Yes!" Danielle said, throwing up her arms with a grin. "That's seven to one wins in my favor! I thought you would be better at this."

Natalie's response was interrupted by the click of the door. Instantly, the woman was on her feet and slipping her heels on. The door opened and Tony stepped in, dress pants rumpled and tie lose. He stepped aside. "Rushman," he greeted tiredly, nodding to her as she left. He closed the door behind her.

Danielle climbed to her feet, shaking out the numbness in her legs. "So, you're still alive," she said, shoving her hands in her pockets. "What happened? Nat wouldn't let me turn on the TV."

"The son of someone Howard pissed off. Doesn't matter, though. He's locked up now, I'm fine, and I got ice cream on the way back." He held up the grocery store bag in his left hand. "Double dark chocolate chunk."

"Ooh, my favorite," she said, mustering up a smile. "I, uh, I'll get spoons."

After a few minutes, they settled on the couch with the tub open between the two of them as they licked their spoons and watched a Spanish soap opera. Danielle kept glancing towards him, watching the way he was tapping his fingers against his chest where his arc reactor was. She looked down to find her hands were shaking. Danielle sniffled and lowered her spoon. The salt in her eyes became heavy and she couldn't stop the sound building up in her throat. Then the dam broke.

"Whoa, whoa, Dani, what's wrong? Baby, look at me." Sticky fingers rubbed the tears from her face. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry. Here." There was loud clattering but she couldn't really see what was going on with her blurry vision. Tony pulled her tight against him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Danielle sobbed, turning her face into his chest. She pressed her hand against where she could feel the arc reactor. She'd thought she was going to lose him. She knew why he was being reckless. She woke up every day terrified that it would be her last time seeing him. But she didn't say that. Instead, she said, "That was _really_ stupid of you."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know." He put a sloppy kiss against her forehead and kept murmuring apologies. "I hope you forgive me someday."

She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. "I, I hope so too."

* * *

"Good morning, Daddy!" Danielle grinned, stepping aside to give him a full view of the table. "I made pancakes with funfetti sprinkles!"

"Ooh, my birthday favorite," he murmured. He smiled at her. "You were outside in the garden?"

"Yeah, well, everything is still adjusting to being planted. How could you tell?"

He reached out and rubbed his thumb across her forehead. "You've got dirt. How're the plants?"

"They're doing okay. I read up on some stuff and I'm pretty sure the hydrangeas will take, but they need some nurturing until they manage it." She pulled out a chair and sat down. "Any big plans today? It's the big four-oh!"

"Hmm, I thought I'd just spend the day with my favorite girl."

"Oh? You finally got around to asking Pepper out?" she asked, giggling.

Tony rolled his eyes, drowning his pancakes in syrup. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." He cut out a bite of food. "So!"

"So?"

"So tell me about Dani. You've made a lot of progress with your studying over the last few months. Any more thought towards what you want to do long term?"

"Well, I _thought_ I might be CEO of SI someday, but then you handed that to Pepper." When he started to apologize, she giggled. "Just kidding. Can you imagine me sitting behind a desk like that? No. I like the research. The innovation. The, the creativity. I wanna do something with that. Something to help people. Something . . . something like that."

"Something like that," he echoed, smiling. He nodded. "No concrete plans, then? What are you, what are you wanting to do when I'm gone?"

Danielle caught her breath and her lungs squeezed. She distracted herself with another bite of food. She took a long time to chew, keeping her eyes on her chocolate milk. Then she looked up at him and smiled. "That won't be for a long time, Dad."

* * *

As the credits for _The Incredibles_ rolled, Danielle sank against her dad's side. She only half paid attention as Tony asked JARVIS to start _Mulan_ next. Finally, she whispered, "Why'd you give Rhodey the suit?"

"Hmm?" He shifted and she felt his breath against her hair. "The suit?"

"I saw him fly off with it," she murmured. "Don't pretend it didn't happen."

He sighed. "It's complicated, sweetheart."

"Is it?" she asked, straightening. "Is it really? What's going on, Dad? Why are you hiding stuff from me?"

He watched her for a moment and then smiled sadly. "I love you, Dani. No matter what, remember that. Please?"

"Dad—"

"Please."

Danielle took a deep breath and then snuggled back up against him. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay." Then, after a too long moment, she whispered, "I know you're lying to me."

He flinched. "I . . . ."

"I'll accept if you don't want to tell me. But please don't lie to me."

It took too long for him to respond. "Okay."

Danielle pushed herself up. "I'm gonna go to bed. I don't wanna watch _Mulan."_

"Dani—"

"Night, Daddy."


	10. So we beat on (ceaselessly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title comes from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

"Good morning, Danielle."

Danielle stared at Natalie and then at the people next to her. "Good morning," she murmured. "Good morning, Phil. And . . . ?" She stared at the last man, flexing her grip on her water bottle. Her hands were still sticky from sweat from her workout, but that was nowhere near as uncomfortable as the way the man was seeming to study her. "Nick Fury, right?"

"That I am."

Danielle glanced towards Natalie. "And who are you really, then? The SHIELD president?"

Natalie's lips twitched up slightly. "Hardly. Natasha Romanoff. I'm just an agent."

"What the hell are you doing in my house?"

Danielle didn't look back at her father. "I don't know. I haven't asked them that yet."

A hand closed on her shoulder and dragged her back. "What do you want, Fury?"

"We have something we need to talk about, Stark. It concerns your little Russian friend from Monaco. And that crossword puzzle on your neck."

It was up to his neck now? Danielle caught herself as she almost looked up at her father. She shook her head. "Dad—"

"We need to discuss this without the kid," Fury interrupted.

Tony's squeezed Danielle shoulder. "Oh, um. Okay. Dani, why don't you . . . . Why don't you let Natalie take you to Pepper, okay?"

"But—"

"Let's go," Natasha said, stepped forward and holding a hand towards Danielle.

Danielle stared at the hand being offered to her. Then she stared up at the redhead and tried to imagine what she must look like as an agent. Did she wear a suit like Phil? She cleared her throat. "I need a shower. I'll meet you outisde."

Natasha stared at her for a long moment, considering. Then she nodded and withdrew her hand. "Fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes. Dad, don't forget to take care of Bacon for me.”

* * *

 

"He's not responding to any of my messages. JARVIS won't even answer me."

"Hmm. Well, Fury gave him a lot of things to focus on. Look up. I'm going to do your mascara."

Danielle eyed the wand Natasha was holding. "You aren't going to poke me in the eye with that, are you?" When all she got in return was an unimpressed look, she pulled a face. "Alright, alright." She kept her head straight but looked up at the ceiling. "Did . . . Fury give him something to help with his arc reactor?"

Natasha didn't respond right away, completely silent as she applied the mascara. She pulled back and stored the wand away. As she dug through the bag of makeup supplies, she said, "His arc reactor?"

"Don't play games. You know what I mean."

Natasha pulled out a spray bottle. "Close your eyes. This will set your makeup."

"Nat."

Natasha shook the bottle threateningly. Danielle just stared her down. A smile twitched Natasha's lips. "Like you, your father has a brilliant mind. But every brilliant mind needs a push in the right direction every now and again."

"Fury had that push for him? To fix himself up?"

All hint of humor had left Natasha's face as she mulled over how to answer. Then she shook the bottle again. "Possibly. Close your eyes."

Danielle sighed. Then she did as she was told. She heard the bottle spray several times and flinched as the cold mist settled over her skin. She kept her eyes closed. "What's going to happen to me?" she murmured. "If it's not the push he needs?"

"You're a smart girl. You'll survive.”

* * *

 

"Dad's here!" Danielle whispered excitedly to Natasha where the woman was sitting beside her. "He's here! He's okay and—" She drifted off, seeing the concerned expression on the redhead's face. "He's . . . . Nat?"

"Something's not right," Natasha murmured to her. "I wasn't told he was coming."

"Is that bad? He's—" Danielle glanced back towards the stage and stared at how her father was advancing on Hammer. "He's not here for the Expo, is he? Nat?" She looked back up at the woman.

"How fast can you run, Danielle?" Natasha asked, leaning closer to her.

"Usually sub seven minutes, now. Why— Oh, god." Danielle couldn't stop staring at the gun Rhodey has pointed at her father. "Nat, what—"

"Take your shoes off."

Danielle kicked off her heels just as her father blasted off from the stage. A hand gripped the back of Danielle's neck and another one pressed on her back, dragging her down from her seat. The lurch in motion was accompanied by the ringing of guns, familiar from her time at the range with Rhodey. Only this sound was louder, angrier, and accompanied by the feeling of bile in her stomach.

"Get to safety!" Natasha yelled. The pressure on her neck and back disappeared.

Danielle was shaking. She knew distantly that people were screaming, but she couldn't quite hear it over the ringing in her ears. She was hyperventilating. Why couldn't she stop? Why weren't her lungs listening to her?

Danielle forced a long breath and then held it until her chest burned. Then she let it out in a gasp. The ringing was still there, mixed with the hail of bullets and the shrieks of people around her. She looked up and carefully peeked over the seats. Most were empty, but some people were still scrambling for the exits.

"Happy," Danielle mumbled. "Gotta find the car."

The ground was cold, but she ignored that and took off running for the exit. Just as she passed through the door, pain sliced up through her foot and she stumbled. Danielle caught herself on the wall and looked back at the blood-stained glass in the doorway. Swearing in a way that she knew would have her father lecturing her if he found out about it, she stumbled quickly away from the building.

A drone flew close overhead and she ducked down, hands over her head. It jarred her bones as it dove by and the sound was accompanied by a high pitched screech of surprise. She looked up just in time to see a little boy tumble to the ground. Danielle scrambled forward, foot screaming as her open wound scraped against the ground. "Hey, hey, hey," she called, grabbing the kid by his arms and dragging him up. "Are you okay?"

He stared up at her, Iron Man mask askew on the top of his head. But he didn't answer, eyes just wide and face pale.

Her concern grew and she waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Are you okay?"

"U-um, yeah." He sniffled and wiped his hand against his nose. "I lost my aunt and uncle. I don't know where they went."

"Oh, okay. Let's go find them. They've got to be—" She gasped and stumbled back a drone landed in front of them. "Shit!"

The boy threw up his hand, palm out. Danielle shook her head. "Not the time!" she shouted, grabbing him and dragging him into her arms. She took off at a limping run. "Hold on tight! I've got you! I've—" She shrieked, barely stopping in time to avoid the drone that landed in front of them. Her foot tore against the ground and she fell backwards, the boy landing on top of her. The drone lifted its arm, pointing at them. Danielle's heart jumped. She dragged the boy down and hunched over him, forcing herself between him and the drone. "I've got you," she said again, but this time her voice was shaking.

The familiar sound of a repulsor blast made her heart jump. She looked up, eyes wide. "Dad?"

"Dani!" The faceplate flipped up. "You need to get somewhere safe." He held out a hand to her. "Let's—" He glanced to the side and then swung around, blasting at another drone.

"I'll be okay!" When had her eyes started stinging? "Go!"

"Dani—"

"Go!"

He looked ready to protest, but a drone came diving at him. He scowled and his faceplate snapped down. "Get to safety!" Then he took off again.

Danielle pushed herself to her feet. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I lost my mask."

She stared at him. And then she smiled faintly. "Don't worry. You'll get another one. C'mon. Can you run?"

He nodded again.

"Let's go." She took his hand and took off, easily matching his slow pace due to her injury. "What's your name?"

"Peter!"

"It's nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Danielle. Danielle Stark."

He stumbled and looked up at her, wide-eyed. "Whoa. Really?"

"Don't stop!" She pulled on his hand. "Up there! There's people!" She sped up and he struggled to keep pace. "What are their names?"

"What?"

"Your aunt and uncle?"

"Um, Aunt May. And Uncle Ben."

"Okay. Let's find them." She kept her grip on him tight and started pulling him through the crowd of people. "May! Ben!"

Peter kept close to her side. "Uncle Ben!" he called, voice shaking. "Aunt May! Uncle Ben!" He pulled on her hand. "Where are there?"

"I don't know. We'll find them. Don't—"

The shockwave hit her ears before the sound did. But she heard the roar of fire and dragged Peter into her arms. He shrieked in surprise and his hands pulled anxiously at her dress. The roaring stopped and she let go of him, arms shaking. He looked up at her and his mouth moved but she couldn't hear him. All she could hear was the ringing in her ears. She shook her head and scratched at her ear. "What?" she asked loudly.

"What happened?"

His voice was quiet, but she had a feeling it wasn't because of him. She tried to focus through the ringing. Danielle glanced over her shoulder at the destroyed Expo. "I— Let's find your family."

It took a while and she could feel Peter getting more and more anxious by the minute. But finally they found a man and woman that dragged the boy into their arms and started crying over them. Danielle smiled at them shakily, her head curiously light and her vision splotchy.

"Goose!"

She turned around quickly and nearly lost her balance. A metal hand closed around her bicep, keeping her up. "Thank god you're okay. We couldn't find you anywhere."

She blinked several times. When had it gotten this hard to see? "Rhodey?"

"Yeah, it's me, kiddo. You don't look so good."

"I don't feel so good," she admitted.

He frowned and then his faceplate snapped down. "Alright, let's get you out of here.”

* * *

 

"You aren't dying anymore?"

Tony's fingers paused in her hair and she could feel the stutter in his breath with how she was leaned up against his chest. She counted seven uncertain heartbeats before he responded with, "How long have you known?" His fingers started combing comfortingly through her hair again.

She sighed and let her eyes drift closed, the end credits of _Die Hard_ not nearly interesting enough to watch. "Since the hearing in DC. So a month."

"You knew . . . ." He took a long, slow breath. "I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"I know."

She listened to the steady beat of his heart. "You're here to stay, now?"

He chuckled, though it was strained. "Of course I am," he murmured. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're stuck with me forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever. No take-backsies."

Danielle laughed. "I don't want take-backsies. I don't want you to ever leave."

"I don't want to leave either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the first fic for the Erstwhile series! The beginning of the next fic should be up soon, so look out for that. Don't forget to subscribe to the series so you don't miss it.


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